


London is Burning 2: Too Many Queens

by violinia



Series: London is Burning Series [4]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Drag Queens, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 54,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25509322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violinia/pseuds/violinia
Summary: Francis Bonnefoy has always been on center stage. On nights he would perform, the tips would be plentiful and the audience's cheers were deafening. But ever since a certain little Feliks Łukasiewicz moved to London, Francis no longer receives the attention he once did. In order to level the competition (and to battle his jealousy), Francis reaches out to an old friend, a former drag queen, for help. The results are messy and at times, chaotic, but new friendships are made and friends will be reunited. Soon, Francis will realize there are just too many queens in London!A proper sequel to "London is Burning"!
Series: London is Burning Series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015579
Comments: 114
Kudos: 18





	1. Jealousy Will Make You a Fool

“Give it up one last time for MIRAGE! VOILÀÀÀÀÀÀ!!!” 

Stepping off of the stage, Mirage made her way to the dressing room, smiling to herself as the crowd cheers continued. “I got them all riled up for you,” she said, pulling off her wig. “Good luck though, I really killed it out there. Tough act to follow.”

Setting a dark red, bullet lipstick aside, Roksana turned and smirked. “I think you and I both know that I’ll have no problem making the audience forget about you,” she said, jumping up to her feet. She made her way to the door, stopped and turned, and gave a quick smile. “Thanks for being concerned, though.” 

Mirage groaned. “There’s just no shaking up that bitch,” she muttered, reaching for the makeup wipes. Lately, she had been feeling a bit defeated. For the past several months, Roksana’s success in London skyrocketed thanks to her accountant boyfriend who not only managed her finances, but was pretty good at advertising for her as well. Not to mention, Mirage had helped Roksana with her makeup and fashion, giving Roksana an extra edge rather than just being a “busted,” dancing queen. 

Mirage had a huge hand in helping Roksana’s success, and yet, hardly got any credit for it. 

Whenever Roksana performed at  **_Atomica_ ** , the club was  _ packed _ . There was hardly any room to breathe or to dance during a night of a Roksana Pierogi performance. People  _ loved _ her. They  _ lived  _ for her. 

People _used_ to live for Mirage. 

Mirage couldn’t help but feel like all of her hard work to get her own name out and to get fans were all for nothing. Roksana came in on her coattails and  _ stole _ Mirage’s thunder. It was frustrating. 

As Mirage wiped her face clean and got undressed, there was a knock at the door. 

“Francis? You decent?” Arthur asked, his voice muffled by the door. 

“Yes, come in, come in!” Francis called back, grabbing his pair of pants to put on. 

Stepping into the room, Arthur closed the door behind him and shoved his hands in his pockets. He smiled. “You put on a great show, as always,” 

Francis smirked and grabbed Arthur’s wrist, pulling his partner close. “Thank you,  _ mon chou _ . I’m glad that I at least have one cheerleader,”

“You have plenty of cheerleaders,” Arthur stated, pushing Francis’ hair back behind his ears. Francis had been so wrapped up in trying to “compete” with Feliks. Ever since Feliks and Tolys had moved from Poland and Feliks’ success began instantly, Francis grew jealous. The only person who heard his complaints was Arthur. He did his best to cheer up his partner, but it was to no avail. No matter what Arthur did, Francis was still obsessed with competition. 

“It’s taken me  _ years _ to build up a following! He moved here and within a few months, he’s booked nearly in every club in London!! It’s not fair!!” Francis had cried to Arthur over and over. His complaints were neverending and it was all Arthur could do to reassure and encourage his partner that he was great at his art.

“Look, I know you consider Roksana to be fierce competition and you’re competitive as hell. But, couldn’t you hear the cheers from the crowd when you left the stage?” Arthur added. 

“Yes, b--” Francis began. 

“And did you get an incredible amount of tips?”

“Yes! B--!!”

“Then  _ please _ think of it that way, love,” Arthur kissed Francis’ cheek. “Stop being competitive with Roksana. Both of you honestly have two different styles that it’s hard to really compare. Besides, can’t you just be happy that Feliks is successful? The poor bloke has had it rough.” 

Francis smiled and nodded, taking Arthur’s advice to heart. “I know, I know,” He hesitated. “I’m happy that Feliks has found success here in London. It’s just he is so damn cocky all the time. I just want to knock him down a peg, that’s all. To remember who was here first, you know?” 

Arthur rolled his eyes and groaned. “Is it really worth your time and energy, Francis?” Arthur asked. 

“ _ No _ , but it’d be nice to--” 

Arthur groaned again and made his way back to the door. “Just...finish putting your clothes on and get out here so we can dance.” 

Laughing, Francis quickly put his shoes back on and grabbed his shirt, buttoning it up as fast as he could while rushing out of the dressing room. Following Arthur out onto the dance floor, they caught the tail end of Roksana’s performance. She did two back flips, spun around before sliding into a split while Feliciano and Lovino struck a final pose, waving their fans. The crowd’s cheers were deafening as money practically rained down on stage. As Roksana took in the moment, blowing kisses to the audience as she walked off stage, Francis couldn’t help but grind his teeth in jealousy. 

“Stop,” Arthur muttered, pulling Francis along with him. “C’mon, Toni has our drinks already made and waiting for us.” 

“Really?” Francis asked. “That’s unlike him.” 

Arthur smiled. “I requested it. Today’s a special day,”

Francis thought for a moment; he wasn’t one to forget dates, but he honestly couldn’t remember what was so  _ special _ about today. “Our anniversary isn’t until a few more months,” he then said. 

“I know, but can’t today be a special day for no reason?” Arthur added. He seemed a bit nervous over something, but thankfully Francis was focused on trying to figure out if he had missed an important date. 

“Is it someone’s birthday?” 

“No,”

Francis made a face and was about to pull out his phone to check his calendar. “Then what is so special about today?” 

“Francis,” Arthur put his hands on Francis’ shoulders to get him to focus. “Today is special because…” He paused, looking away. “We’re alive and together.” he concluded, with a smile.

“Then everyday would be special,” Francis rebutted, laughing. 

“ _ Exactly _ . That’s my point,” Turning to the bar, Arthur picked up his and Francis’ drink and handed it to him. “Let’s forget our jealousies and let loose tonight.”

Taking his drink, Francis smiled and held the glass up for a brief toast, letting go of his confusion. “Yes, let’s make the night about us, shall we? I gave an  _ amazing _ show, after all.” 

Arthur lightly tapped his glass with Francis’ and grinned. “Agreed,” They paused to take a sip of their respective drinks. Holding onto his wrist, Arthur pulled Francis towards the dancefloor. Careful not to spill their drinks, they pushed through the crowd to find a reasonable spot to dance freely. Song after song, drink after drink, Francis felt that the alcohol was relaxing him, and he soon forgot why he had been so angry earlier on. As the night went on, the crowd grew smaller and smaller as people left to go home with their one night stands or soon-to-be-lovers. 

Soon, Francis noticed that Arthur had a goofy smile on his face, and knew something was up. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?” he asked. 

“Like what?” Arthur replied, his smile growing brighter. 

“Like you’re up to no good,” Francis leaned into Arthur, feeling the weight of the alcoholic drinks suddenly wash over him. He giggled. “Are you up to no good,  _ mon chou _ ?” 

“You’ve been stressed lately, and I’ve been trying to figure out ways to cheer you up,” Arthur said. “A-and, I’ve done some serious thinking as well,” He paused, looking away to hide the pink flush in his cheeks. “I was wondering if I could ask you a question?” 

“Of  _ course _ you can tear my butt into two tonight, Arthur,” Francis stated, not giving Arthur a chance to clarify. He rested his head on Arthur’s shoulder and looked up at him lovingly. Arthur took a step back to balance himself as he, too, felt extra wobbly tonight. God, Antonio made the drinks  _ extra  _ strong today. 

Or perhaps it was that they both already had 3 too many. 

“You don’t need to ask me that,” Francis added. 

“U-uh, that wasn’t actually what I was going to ask,” Arthur clarified, reaching into his pocket. “We’ve been together for two years now,” He groaned when he didn’t find what he was searching for and reached into the opposite pocket. “And I was wondering if…” His voice trailed off as he soon began patting down both of his pockets. “I was wondering…” 

“Oh, just say it, Arthur. You’re going to tear my butt into two and I won’t be able to walk tomorrow morning.  _ Say it _ . I’m already getting exci--” Francis said, teasingly. 

Arthur took a step back abruptly and started patting down his whole body, spinning around while looking down at the floor. “Damn it all...where did I put it? It couldn’t have gotten far!” 

“What?” Francis asked, confused.

“Just...just stay there,” Arthur said, tripping over his own words. He began pushing his way out of the crowd towards the restrooms. “I-I have to use the loo,”

“The loo?!” Francis called after him, frustrated. “You’re going to  _ the loo _ ??!! You’ve gotten me all hot and bothered, and yet, you’re going to go use  _ the loo _ ?!?! I thought we were going home so you can fuck my brains out!” 

“We are, we are,” Arthur called back over his shoulder. “I just...just stay there! I’ll be right back.” 

Francis crossed his arms across his chest and pouted. “You could at least  _ fuck  _ me  _ in _ the loo,” he muttered under his breath. As he waited, he swayed side to side with the music, hoping that Arthur wouldn’t be long. Soon, he began wandering towards the bar where most of his friends were congregating. 

“I think for my next number, I should try to do a backflip  _ into  _ a split!” Francis overheard Feliks rambling. “How cool would that be? The audience would totally forget how to breathe!!” 

"Would that even be physically possible, Feliks?" Francis commented, butting into the conversation. He could already feel the jealousy creeping back into his being.

Turning to face him, Feliks smirked. “Ah, jealous are we?” he said, smugly. Feliks knew Francis was jealous of his new popularity; Francis had been leaving passive-aggressive remarks everywhere he went. Feliks didn't seem to be bothered by Francis’ new behavior, but mildly amused.

Francis scoffed, waving his hand in the air. “ _ Please _ . As if I could be jealous of  _ you _ .”

“Your words say it all!” Feliks said, laughing. He raised his drink and crossed his legs. “It’s okay though; be jealous. It just shows that I’m doing something right.” 

“Puh-lease! Your backflips and splits and death drops can only take you so far,” Francis hissed. He wished he would stop talking, but his thoughts felt as if they were swimming through thick molasses. Everytime he told himself to stop, it was already too late, for he had already said something insulting.  _ How many drinks did I have again? _ “What you  _ really _ should be focusing on is fixing that face of yours.” 

Feliks frowned. “What’s wrong with my face?!” he asked defensively.

“Do you even know how to do makeup? I mean,  _ change _ your face! Shave your eyebrows, hollow the  _ fuck _ out of those cheekbones! Make your nose as thin as a swordfish!” God, Francis wished he’d shut up. “Drag is so much more than dancing, Feliks. It’s  _ art _ .” 

“It’s my style of performance,” Feliks said, narrowing his eyes. “I think you are jealous that the audience eats my performances up. You’ve faded in the background, and you can’t stand that.” 

_ Merde _ , Francis thought.  _ I’m the psychology professor. He’s not allowed to psychoanalyze me! _ “Wrong, wrong, and wrong, Feliks! I’m just trying to help you out!” 

“By being a bitch?” Feliks tilted his head as he finished, smirking. “How much have you had to drink? You’re swaying an awfully lot.” 

Francis groaned and smacked Feliks’ drink out of his hand. The pink-colored cocktail fell to the floor, coating it with alcohol, bits of fruit and sugar. People standing nearby were murmuring to each other and taking steps back in case some sort of fight broke out. “I’m not drunk!” Francis lied. He pointed at Feliks, poking his finger into his chest, only to be pushed away by Feliks’ boyfriend. 

“Hey, let’s just, calm down here,” Tolys said, standing between Feliks and Francis. “We’ve all had some drinks, so let’s just--”

“All I’m saying is that you need to start changing it up, or people will become bored with you. That’s it!” Francis shouted over Tolys’ shoulder. 

“Sure, sure,” Feilks agreed sarcastically. “Or, you’re just saying that to get in my head. Are you forgetting that I come from a performing arts background? Do you think I don’t know competitive language by now?” 

“Why can’t you just--”

“Take your word for it?” Feliks finished before Francis could, smirking. Francis frowned; how many times had he said that phrase for Feliks to know what to say? Too many times. Feliks moved his attention away from Francis to the other side of the club where Arthur had stepped out of the restrooms. “I think you need to go home and get some rest, Francis. Your boyfriend’s waiting," he added, turning away to ask for another drink.

“Don’t  _ tell _ me what I need!” Francis said. He  _ was _ beginning to feel a little woozy; it was probably best for him to go home. “I’m going to go over there with Arthur.  _ Not _ because you said so, but because I  _ want _ to!” As he began walking away, he slipped on the spilled drink from earlier and fell down the tiny staircase that went from the bar to the dancefloor. Everything seemed to come to a stop as Francis laid still for a moment, trying to fathom what just happened. He could hear Feliks holding in a snicker, muttering a snide comment in Tolys’ ear. Tolys bit down on his lip to hold in a laugh before turning away. People soon gathered around him, many of them repeatedly asking: “Oh gosh, are you okay?!” Francis didn’t respond to them, wishing he could just disappear because he embarrassed himself royally. 

But there was a peculiar voice that stuck out to Francis’ ear, and it  _ wasn’t _ his beloved’s. 

“Professor, are you okay?” 

Glancing up, Francis recognized the person immediately. The kid grabbed his arm and tried to help him up to his feet. 

“Professor Bonnefoy, are you okay?”

Embarrassed that a university student from  _ his class _ was at the very same club that he  _ worked _ at had just watched him drunkenly fall on his ass, Francis attempted to pretend he did not recognize the kid. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said, getting back onto his feet. He dusted himself off and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, have we met?” 

“Uh, yeah?” the student answered. “I’m in your Psych 101 class?” When Francis did not reply, the student sighed. “My friend and I sit in the back? Close to the windows?”

Francis knew exactly who he was. The kid and his friend sat in the back corner by the windows, making smug remarks and laughing at dumb pictures on their phones. He had to constantly ask them to put their phones away and that they didn't come to class just to sit around and goof off (yes, he had become one of  _ those _ professors). Francis shook his head playing dumb. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t think--why are you here? Aren’t you a little young?”

“I’m 19. We’re here celebrating my sister’s 18th birthday,”

“Y-you said you were a student?” 

“I mean, my friend and I never talk in class. I hate class participation. I just like taking notes, you know?” The student paused. “Do you really not know who I am?” 

Francis certainly  _ did _ know the student, but his name escaped him. He could picture his friend sitting next to him, and could only remember his friend’s name.  _ His friend is Emil, right? _ Francis thought to himself.  _ What was this kid’s name again…? _

The student sighed. “I’m the only one who managed to pass the last exam? Only by like, a few points thought...” 

“R-right…”

“Leon?” the student finished. “Leon Wang?” 

Before Francis could say anything, Arthur had finally pushed his way through the crowd and pulled Francis close. “Jesus, Francis! Are you alright?” he asked, concerned. He pulled away to get a good look at Francis. “God, that looked awful!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Francis assured. He glanced at the student and turned his attention to his boyfriend. “I think it’s time we go home.” 

“You sure?” Arthur checked his phone for the time. “We usually stay until morning.” 

“I want to head home,” Francis insisted. Not only was his head pounding, but his ass also hurt, and not in a good way. He was already regretting this night. “I’m tired and my head hurts.” 

Arthur nodded, linked arms with him to make sure his footing was steady. “You didn’t hurt your head, did you?” he then asked, gently touching Francis’ head.

“No,” Francis sighed. He looked over his shoulder as they walked to the exit, watching Leon regroup with his friends. Francis recognized some of them; the one young man with the light blond hair who  _ always _ sat next to Leon in class, the other young man who seemed to own all of the coolest gadgets and wore the latest trends, and then a young woman who had to be Leon’s sister as he mentioned. Sighing, Francis looked forward and focused on walking steadily. 

“It’s just that one of my greatest fears came true tonight.”


	2. Small World

Leon _hated_ working at the restaurant. 

See, working in the restaurant _used_ to be fun. When they were younger, his older brother Yao had been very creative and made working in their mother’s restaurant fun. Being forced to work in a restaurant as a kid could be incredibly boring. Since he was much older than his siblings, Yao had done everything he could to make his siblings happy while their mother never paid them any attention. There were different coloring books and handheld gaming consoles throughout the restaurant, all hidden away from their mother. Leon, Yao and their younger sister, Xiao Mei, even made up secret games that in reality, made _zero_ sense now that they were older. Working never felt like a chore when they were younger, and that was all because of Yao.

Then, after university, Yao disappeared for 6 years. No one knew where he ran off to; Leon would ask his mother and she always answered him with silence. It wasn’t until their mother fell deathly ill did Yao return. 

The older Yao got, the stricter he became. Leon couldn’t see how the younger version of his brother and the current version were the same. He didn’t understand how someone could drastically change without something happening to them. 

Not to mention, Yao was incredibly stubborn, particularly to Leon and his name. 

It all happened while Yao had been off doing whatever in the 6 year time. Even though Leon explained numerous times to his brother the reason why _some_ of his friends and teachers called him “Leon” was because it was the name that happened to “stick”. Many of the school teachers were ignorant, and half the time would butcher the pronunciation of his name, even though it was quite easy to say just like any other name. One ignorant teacher referred to him as “Leon” because it was, as they put it, “close enough.” From then on, Li Xiao became “Leon” at school. Leon fought it initially, but ignorance always prevailed at school, so he eventually gave up. 

No matter how many times Leon told his brother to let it all go, Yao was never in the mood to put up with it. 

“No one ‘renamed’ your sister, did they?” 

“No, but it’s not a big d--”

“And they didn’t ‘rename’ me, right?”

“No, but can you just--”

“Then they shouldn’t be renaming _you_. Understood?” 

Sitting at one of the booths and laughing at the messages his friends were sending him, Leon was ignoring all of the nonsensical noise in the restaurant. The clanking sounds of plates hitting each other, the sizzling of the woks in the kitchen and the stereotypical traditional Chinese music that played overhead. The few hours between lunch and dinner were always the slowest and when Leon became bored. 

“Li Xiao!” 

Leon heard his name coming from the kitchen, but he decided to pay it no mind. He was tired and quite frankly, he was far more content with sending a bunch of memes back and forth to his friend Emil. That was 10 times more fun than whatever Yao had in store for him. 

“Li Xiao!!” 

With a heavy sigh, Leon put his phone in his pocket and stood up, wondering what his older brother could be yelling at him for _this_ time. 

“Li Xiao!!!” 

“You don’t have to shout, I heard you the first time,” Leon said. 

“Then you should have answered the first time,” Yao replied. Standing in front of the swinging doors, he crossed his arms against his chest. “Also, if you _had_ been paying attention, you would have seen that that old couple has been standing there for 3 minutes. Go over and host them, please.” 

“Or, I mean, instead of yelling at me, why didn’t _you_ host them if you saw them standing there?” Leon asked, smugly. 

“Because I’m _cooking_ ,” Yao pointed to the front of the restaurant. “Host them before they turn around and walk out.” 

Letting out a huge sigh, Leon put on his best smile as he stepped behind the host’s counter. The old couple were frequent customers; they liked eating dinner early and came to the restaurant practically every other day. “Good afternoon,” he greeted as politely as he could. “Welcome to **_Golden Palace_ **, how many will be dining with us today?” 

“Just two,” the elderly woman answered, holding up two fingers. “We would like to sit at a booth, please.” 

Reaching down at the shelf in the host stand, Leon grabbed to menus and turned away from them. “This way, please,” He led the couple to a corner booth seat, gently placing the menus down strategically on the table. “While you look over the menu, can I get you anything to drink?” 

“Just some water, please,” the elderly woman said, sitting down. 

“I would like some of that delicious tea you have,” the old man said. 

“Frank! Your heart can’t take caffeine!” the woman shouted at her husband. Leon fought the temptation to roll his eyes. Sure, tea was caffeinated, but it wasn’t so caffeinated that it would _kill_ a man. 

“I’m 87 years old, let me live my life, woman!” 

“Okay, so I’ll bring back some water and tea for you both,” Leon mentioned quickly before turning away and making his way to the kitchen. As the two-sided doors swung back and forth behind him, Yao grabbed two cups beside the soda fountain and filled them up with water. “We need a teapot with Oolong,” Leon mentioned, shouting over his shoulder. 

Yao prepared the teapot and teacups quickly; Leon was always impressed that his brother managed to move through the kitchen with grace and without making a sound. “Where’s Xiao Mei?” Yao asked. “We need her--”

“You gave her the day off,” Leon stated. Yao had a tendency to make his younger siblings work day after day. It never occurred to him that just because _he_ liked working nonstop, that others _hated_ it and deserved some time off. And so, with the help of their chef, Kiku, Leon, and Xiao Mei were able to convince Yao to give them days off from time to time. 

“She and Lien are out shopping. Besides, the restaurant is practically empty.” Leon added. 

“I do _not_ remember giving her the day off,” Yao muttered, perturbed at himself. He slid the teapot to the edge of the counter for Leon to carry out to the old couple.

“Of course you don’t remember, you’re o--”

“If you call me old one more time today...” Yao muttered. 

“But you are old,” Leon said. He was joking, but Yao seemed to not understand what a sarcastic tone of voice was. 

“Being 33 is _not_ old.” 

Leon shrugged. He put all of the drinks on a tray and smiled. “Then why do you complain about your back hurting all the time?” 

Yao looked at his younger brother and huffed. “Wait until you get to my age; you’ll understand.” 

“That’s exactly something an old person would say,” Leon joked, rushing out of the kitchen with the drinks before his brother could scold him some more. 

Setting the drinks onto the table where the old couple sat, the older woman glared at Leon, angry that he in fact, brought a pot of tea for them. Taking a step back, Leon put on his best smile, ignoring the woman’s judgmental glare. “Have you had a chance to look at the menu?” he asked. 

“Yes, I want some spicy food,” the old man answered. “What do you recommend?” 

Leon took a deep breath, striving for patience. This couple came to the restaurant so often that they should have the menu memorized by now. “Well--” 

“ _Your_ spicy food is too spicy. Some fried rice and lo mein will do just fine.” the woman cut in, snidely. 

_Why do you have to be so rude_? Leon thought to himself. He nodded and wrote down the order without question as the couple argued in front of him. “Will that be all?” he asked politely. 

“Yes,” the woman said before her husband could answer. 

“I want egg rolls--” the man mumbled. 

“ _That_ will be all,” the woman reiterated, glaring at Leon. 

Nodding, he stepped away to place the order in. Before stepping back into the kitchen, he looked up at the painting that hung beside the doors. It was a gorgeous painting that Yao had done of their mother; she was looking to the side as her long, brown hair seemed to be flowing in the wind, covering up the majority of the painting. Sighing, Leon pushed open the doors. _It’s going to be a long day._

Francis was dreading his 1:00 Psych 101 class on Monday. After his encounter with a student at **_Atomica_ **, he was utterly embarrassed. Arthur told him over and over that everything would be fine and the student most likely wouldn’t think much of it come the new week. 

True, it wasn’t a big deal. 

But Arthur didn’t work _with_ college students. Sure, Leon most likely wouldn’t bring the subject up, but he 100% already shared the encounter with all of his friends and started rumors around the college. 

Again, not the worst thing that could happen. 

But Francis always liked to keep his professional life and personal life separate. He was proud to be a drag queen and to let loose on the weekends, but he didn’t necessarily want his students to know about it. 

Once the class was started and Leon and his friend Emil were settled in their usual spot, everything went smoothly as they normally would. But as he was teaching, he could hear whispering in the far corner. It was typical, as the Psych 101 class was not one of Francis’ favorite classes to teach, and thus, was very dry at times. Students’ minds would wander as he would talk about the start of Psychology from Freud (and how he was _terribly_ wrong about a lot of things) and the developments of the brain from a young age to adulthood. Most would quietly play games on their computers (as if Francis didn’t know), but some (Leon and Emil) would murmur to themselves, snickering at whatever it was they were looking at. 

_See, everything is fine. They’ve forgotten about it._ Francis thought to himself as he grabbed a pile of worksheets he was about to pass out. He separated the pile of worksheets into two piles and handed them to two different students on opposite sides of the room to pass them around. “There should be enough packets for each person. It is a study guide for our next test. We will review everything on Wednesday, the exam is on Friday. Any questions?” he said, watching as the students slowly passed the papers around the room. 

There was a loud snort from the corner of the room, and Francis’ attention went straight to Leon and Emil, who were covering their mouths in an attempt to muffle their laughter. Francis cleared his throat. “Emil? Leon? Questions?” 

Both Emil and Leon looked up from their phones and stared back with wide eyes. It never mattered how old you were, being called out by a teacher was _always_ embarrassing. When neither of them replied, Francis repeated himself: 

“Questions?” 

“No, sir,” Leon answered, quickly looking back down at his phone. 

“If you guys have something you’d like to share with the class,” Francis continued, crossing his arms. “I’m sure everyone would appreciate it if you showed us.” 

Emil snorted. “What is this, high school?” he mumbled under his breath. “Chill out.” 

“Come on man, give him a break,” Leon replied in a low voice. “He’s projecting on us because he’s embarrassed from what happened Saturday.” 

Francis swallowed and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, what was that?” he asked. 

“Sorry,” Both Emil and Leon said simultaneously and half-heartedly. 

Francis relented and leaned against the desk behind him. “Alright, class dismissed. Study hard. I want everyone to do better on this exam than the last.” 

As all of the students gathered their belongings and made their way out of the classroom, one-by-one, Francis began to reorganize his belongings for the next class. Emil and Leon were about to walk out of the door when Francis stopped them. “Leon, may I speak with you a moment?” 

The two of them stopped in their tracks, Leon glancing at Emil who then stepped out of the room. “Am I in trouble, Professor Bonnefoy?” he asked, straight faced. 

“No, not at all,” Francis said, watching the last student walk out of the room. “I wanted to apologize for what you saw on Saturday.”

“You mean you falling on your ass?” Leon replied, a little too bluntly. 

Francis cleared his throat and looked away. “Yes, me falling on my ass,” He turned his attention back to Leon. “I’m sorry that you had to see me in such a state. I normally--”

“It’s cool,” Leon said, shrugging. He began walking away. “We all get drunk and fall on our asses sometimes. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, given your age.” 

Francis froze. _Did he just call me old?!_ “I’ll have you know that I am not that old,” he stated. 

Leon smirked. “You sound like my brother,” 

“I take it that your brother is older than you?” 

“Yeah,” Leon said. “He’s older than you too. He’s _old_.” 

Francis raised an eyebrow. “How old is he?” 

“I dunno, like, 33?” 

Francis’ eye twitched in annoyance; he was only 30, which made him not much younger than Leon’s supposed older brother. He tilted his head a little bit and forced a smile. “You think 33 is old?” 

“Oh, are you 33?” Leon replied, eyes wide with worry. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” 

Francis crossed his arms and tried to shrug it off. “So, did your sister enjoy her birthday?” 

Leon nodded. “Yeah, she’s really into drag right now. Well, she’s been into it for a few years now, which in turn got me into it. Which then got my friends interested in it.” 

“I see,” Francis smiled. Perhaps now would be time for an ego boost. “So, what did you think of the show? There were a few drag queens who performed.” 

“My sister follows Roksana Pierogi on Insta,” Leon mentioned. “And was really excited to see her perform live. I have to say, she did not disappoint. She was also really nice in person.” 

“Y-you met her?” Francis asked. He was disappointed that the kid didn’t even mention Mirage; had she _really_ faded that much into the background?

“Yeah, Xiao Mei wanted a selfie with her,” Leon paused. “I have to say, the queen who performed before Roksana was nice too. What was her name again?” 

“Mirage Voilà,” Francis answered a little too quickly. He was ecstatic that _someone_ seemed to like Mirage. He was also thankful that Leon didn’t seem to recognize him _as_ Mirage Voilà.

“Yeah, that’s it! Anyways, she seemed to be well put together fashion wise. I know a lot goes in for the performance, but it’s nice when the visual art is there too.” Leon concluded. 

Francis smiled. “Ah, sounds like you know art, then,” 

“Well yeah, I wouldn’t be an art major if I didn’t,” Leon readjusted his backpack over his shoulder and turned away. “I better get going; I have two papers that are due tomorrow and I haven’t even found any sources yet. And uh, don’t worry about anything. I haven’t told anyone else that I saw you fall on your ass at a club this weekend.” 

“Great, I appreciate that,” Francis said, nodding. Leon started walking out of the classroom. “Please don’t tell anyone that!” 

“Got it!” 

Francis sighed in relief, unaware that he had been so tense. Other students began to wander into the classroom and Francis glanced at the student list, curious of Leon’s grades. On Saturday, he claimed that he was the only one who got a passing grade on the last exam (an exam that wasn’t difficult at all). As Francis scanned the list, he found no “Leon” at all. _Strange,_ Francis thought to himself, looking over the last names. He felt embarrassed that he hadn’t really paid attention to every student’s last name on the attendance sheet; all he did was leave the sheet on a desk by the door with a sign next to it that told everyone to mark off their name as they walked in. When it came to passing back graded work, he’d just call out names and have them retrieve it so he didn’t have to weave in and out of the scrambled desks in the room. Eventually, he found Leon’s last name, “Wang,” and discovered that his name was actually “Li Xiao.” 

_Didn’t I have a friend who had a brother with that name?_ Francis thought to himself. 

Wait a minute. 

There was still some time until the next class started, so Francis quickly logged into his Facebook account and looked through his friends list until he found “Yao Wang.” Perusing through his photos (which really hadn’t been updated in a few years), Francis found a recent tagged picture of Yao and his family standing in front of their restaurant. 

There stood Leon, to the right of Yao and his sister stood on Yao’s right. 

Smiling to himself, Francis wondered how his old friend was doing. It had been years since they reconnected, especially after the “big catastrophe”. Francis put his phone away and chuckled, writing on the chalkboard. 

“Small world, huh?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> I hope everyone is doing well! Here is chapter 2! I know it's very wordy and filled with lots of description and back story, but it felt better to kind of try to explain somethings first. Please let me know what you guys think, and feel free to give me critiques as well! 
> 
> I've thought about this for a while, and this is new to me so please bear with me, but I decided to set up a Ko-fi account. It's kinda like a Patreon, but it's more like one-off donations instead of a monthly subscription kind of thing. I would really appreciate some support if you are able (and do not feel obligated to donate in any way!). Here is the link to my Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/violinia 
> 
> Last thing, some of you may have read my story "The Battle of Warszawa". Well, medka, another ao3 user who's read some of my other works, offered to translate the story from English to Polish. They posted the translation of chapter 1 not too long ago. I know some of you may not read Polish, but I was hoping if you guys could go over to their translation and show some support! Even if it's leaving a kudos! The title of the translation is "Bitwa o Warszawę" Please, please, please go and show some support in any way you can!! Translating takes a lot of work!
> 
> Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you at the next one! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia) 
> 
> Tumblr: bonnefoys  
> Twitter: kviolinia


	3. The Test

_ “I have always been so proud of you, but today, you brought me shame!”  _

Yao always had an interest in art. The world had so much beauty in it, and Yao was fascinated by it all. Being born in Beijing, there was already so much to see and not enough time. By the time Yao was 6, his mother packed up all of her things and moved to the UK where she started a new life, bringing her young son with her. She created a new restaurant, using her own recipes which were an immediate hit. 

Yao looked up to his mother, as she was a strong role model, and wanted to be just as strong as she was when he grew older. As a child, Yao was allowed to do as he pleased. After finishing his homework, Yao often spent his time drawing and painting. One day, his mother found his artwork under his bed as she was cleaning his room and though she had always been pressed for money, she put him in art classes at the art shop across the street. Each day, he would show her what he had learned at his lessons, and she smiled at him with pride. 

“My son is so talented,” she would say. “I am proud to have such a brilliant son.” 

Things started to change at age 10. For years, he had been fascinated in the way his mother applied makeup. Every morning, he watched her swipe on bright red lipstick across her lips and cautiously applied her eyeliner for a perfectly symmetrical cat eye. One morning, his mother caught him wearing a bit of her signature eyeliner and red lipstick before he went off to school. Yao had never seen his mother so angry before. 

“You are a boy!” she would shout at him. She dragged him to the bathroom and scrubbed his face clean with a damp washcloth. “Boys must look like boys! Do you understand?! They will hurt you! They will beat you if they see you like this! I  _ never _ want to see you wearing this ever again! Do you understand me?!” 

Yao never understood her panic, and continued to play with makeup only to be scolded every single time. 

Eventually, his mother started dating a man and though they never married, they had two children a year apart from each other, suddenly making Yao an older brother at 14. His mother called off the relationship sometime after Xiao-Mei was born and put all of her energy into the restaurant, meaning it was up to Yao to raise his brother and sister.

What he would give to speak to his mother one more time. 

“Earth to Yao,” 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yao looked up to see his head chef, Kiku, standing in front of him. “You awake?” he asked. 

“Yes, yes,” Yao answered. “I’m awake.” 

“Yong-Soo is almost finished with his cooking test,” Kiku shook his head in disappointment. 

Yong-Soo was a friend of Xiao-Mei and Leon; this was his third time trying to pass the test that Yao made every cook do. It was the very same test his mother forced all new cooks to do, and many of them failed several times before they finally began working as a cook. Yong-Soo was insistent that he wanted to be a cook, even though he never seemed to listen or follow recipes. He had to learn. 

Eventually. 

“I’m going to give you a warning; it was a disaster supervising him.” Kiku concluded.

Yao leaned back and groaned. “Let me guess; didn’t follow the recipe?” 

“No, he did this time,” Kiku said, making his way back to the kitchen. “Sort of.” 

A few minutes passed, and soon Yong-Soo brought out the dish he worked on, placing it down in front of Yao. He took a step back and grinned. “I have a feeling this is going to be the one!” he said, cheerfully. 

Taking a deep breath, Yao picked up his chopsticks and began inspecting the dish. It was Szechuan Chicken, and though the dish was coated in sauce as it should be, something was off. He could already  _ smell _ that something was missing. He soon took a single bite of the dish and calmly set down his chopsticks, wiping his mouth with a napkin. 

“Did you follow the recipe?” he asked. 

“Yes! I followed every step!” Yong-Soo boasted. 

Yao glanced at Kiku, who had a frown on his face. “Can you remind me what dish this is supposed to be?” 

“Szechuan chicken,” Yong-Soo answered. His smile was slowly beginning to disappear. “I followed the recipe, I promise!” 

“What is the main flavor of Szechuan chicken?” Yao asked. 

“Um, the spice?” 

“From the?”

“Chili peppers?” 

Yao nodded. “Correct. Did you taste your dish at all before you served it to me?” 

“Y-yes?” Yong-Soo looked away, indicating that he was lying. 

Yao slid the dish closer to the edge of the table and handed him the chopsticks. “Taste it again, please,” 

As Yong-Soo tasted the dish, he shrugged and looked at Yao in confusion. “It tastes just like--”

“The point of Szechuan chicken is that it’s spicy.  _ Very _ spicy. So, I want to ask you again: did you follow the recipe?”

“Yes!” 

“Then why isn’t my tongue numb?” 

Leon and Xiao-Mei were sitting on the side, holding in their laughter at their friend. Yong-Soo froze, trying to think of an excuse.“P-perhaps you need to taste it again!” he said, sliding the plate back to Yao. “You have to build up the spice!”

“No,” Yao said. “I should feel it right away. I should even be able to smell it. Especially if you follow the recipe. Did you even put chili peppers in?” 

“I did! I swear I followed the recipe!” Yong-Soo looked at Kiku. “Tell him! You saw me, right? I did everything perfectly.” 

He shook his head. “He forgot to put the chili peppers in,” Kiku answered, flatly. 

“Come on, Kiku! Why do you have to be like that?” 

“How do you forget to put the chili peppers in, Yong-Soo?” Xiao-Mei asked, giggling.

“Yeah man, that’s like the first ingredient,” Leon teased. 

Yao cleared his throat and stood up from his seat. “For now, you will continue to be a waiter here at  **_Golden Palace_ ** ,” he said. 

“Please don’t make me do this test again! Come on, I  _ actually _ cooked the chicken this time!!” Yong-Soo pleaded. 

“Do you know how much a detriment this could have been if we had actually given this to a customer?!” Yao continued, raising his voice. He stepped around the table and headed to the kitchen. “Learn to follow recipes  _ exactly _ , and you can be a chef. Until then, you’ll remain a waiter.” 

He heard Yong-Soo groan dramatically behind him. “I bet Kiku didn’t have to do this so many times,” he whined. “You think he’s perfect.” 

“No, Kiku actually had to do the test many times,” Yao said over his shoulder. “That’s why he’s your supervisor.” 

“He didn’t mention that I forgot the chili peppers,” Yong-Soo mumbled. 

“I did.  _ Several _ times,” Kiku sighed. “You just have selective hearing.” 

“Yong-Soo, please help Li-Xiao and Xiao-Mei set up the tables,” Yao ordered. 

“Can’t you just call me--,” Leon began to mutter under his breath.

“We need to get ready for the dinner wave. Hurry up!” 

Groaning, the three kids stood up and started arranging silverware on the tables and folding napkins. Kiku lingered around, cleaning the table where Yao had sat at and picked up the plate. “Has anyone besides Kiku and Yao himself passed that insane test? It’s like,  _ impossible _ to pass.” 

“All you have to do is follow the recipe exactly the way Yao wants you to,” Kiku mentioned as he walked past. “Then, once you pass, you can tweak the recipe a little. Which, in all honesty, you will have to do when you’re on the job. So many people ask for things to be less spicy.” 

“Then my food was perfect!” Yong-Soo exclaimed. 

“No, it wasn’t. You forgot one of the main ingredients. It’s fine when you leave it out on purpose for a reason, but not by accident.” Kiku added before disappearing behind the kitchen doors. 

“Leon, did you pass that ridiculous test your brother made?” Yong-Soo asked. 

“Barely,” Leon answered, wiping down a table before putting silverware down. 

“He went easy on you because you're his brother, right?” 

“No, he was much harsher to me.  _ Every _ detail had to be there. Xiao-Mei tried to pass it too, but they fought too much.” 

Xiao-Mei scoffed. “I passed that test ten times; Yao was just  _ looking _ for something to be picky about! My cooking was perfect!” 

“So, we’re just not gonna talk about how bad you burnt the chicken that one time?” Leon said, smirking. 

“I didn’t burn it! I...tastefully charred it,” Xiao-Mei said, defending herself. She gently placed a folded napkin on a table. “It was very crunchy, which adds to texture.” 

“Didn’t Yao force you to eat all of it?” Leon asked. 

“Yes, and I didn’t think it was so bad,” Xiao-Mei argued. “He’s just too picky. It’s a curse to have such a refined pallet, I think. Yao is cursed.” 

“What are you talking about? You literally threw up afterwards.” 

Throwing her hands in the air, Xiao-Mei knocked over a bunch of other cloth napkins onto the floor. “It was  _ so _ much chicken! Practically impossible for one person to eat all of it!” 

“Just admit you burnt the chicken, Xiao-Mei,” Yong-Soo chimed in. “I might have forgotten the main ingredient, but at least I didn’t burn it to a crisp!” 

“Whatever,” she mumbled. As Yong-Soo and Leon laughed and high fived each other, Xiao-Mei groaned and drew her attention back to work. 

The dinner wave had died down considerably and it was almost time for the restaurant to close. Yao had dismissed Leon, Xiao-Mei, Kiku and Yong-Soo for the night, telling them to get some rest. Kiku always stayed behind to help Yao clean and lock up the restaurant. 

“You need to learn to slow down,” Kiku said, making sure all of the chairs were pushed in at the tables. “You don’t need to do everything yourself.” 

“I can handle it,” Yao said. If he could practically raise his brother and sister at a young age  _ and _ finish high school before going off to university, he could do anything. “You can go home, Kiku.” 

“I have no problems stay--” 

Just then, the phone rang and the two of them groaned. The restaurant closed in 10 minutes, and whoever was calling knew that, and figured they would order something last minute. “I got it,” Kiku said, rushing over to the phone at the front of the restaurant. “Thank you for calling  **_Golden Palace_ ** , this is Kiku speaking. I must apolo--” Within seconds, he turned to look at Yao and frowned. “An order for pickup? I-I’m sorry sir, but we close in--” 

Before Kiku could finish, Yao yanked the phone out of his hand and balanced it between his ear and shoulder. “Pickup order, you said? Sure, we can do that. Your name?” he said, grabbing a pen and notepad. “Arthur? Okay, Arthur, what would you like?” Yao listened to the customer’s order and scribbled down the list as fast as he could. “Okay, let me double check with you: pork fried rice, vegetable lo mein and steamed dumplings? Great, anything else? Okay great, total is 15.80, it will be ready in 15 minutes. Thank you, bye.” 

When he hung up, he was greeted with a disapproving look from Kiku. “We’re closed. Why didn’t you tell him that?” he asked. 

“We’re not closed  _ yet _ , and business is business,” Yao replied, rushing back to the kitchen. He paused in front of the door and turned around. “Why don’t you head home, Kiku? You look tired.” 

“Are you sure?” he replied. “I can stay and--”

“It’s a small order,” Yao said before he could finish. “I can handle it, no problem.” 

Ready to protest, Kiku opened his mouth, but stopped himself. Almost every night they had the same polite argument which always ended in Yao saying that Kiku looked tired when in fact, it was Yao who looked  _ exhausted _ . He wasn’t going to put up a fight, knowing that Yao would be insistent on sending him home for the night. 

Kiku smiled. “Alright, if you’re sure. Have a good evening and I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Yao watched as Kiku stepped out of the restaurant and nodded; it was time to get down to business. Thankfully, the woks were still plenty hot, so the food cooked fairly quickly. Packing the food into containers, Yao heard the front door open as he gently put the containers into a paper bag. Rushing out of the kitchen, he set the bag on the counter and double-checked the amount that was owed. 

“Order for Arthur? 15.80, please.” Looking up at the customer, he froze when he was met with a familiar face. Blond hair, stubble, a smooth grin that would make  _ anyone _ swoon. Yao could recognize that face anywhere. 

“Hello, Yao,” Francis greeted. “It’s been a while. How’ve you been?” 

Yao sighed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “Francis,” he replied, crossing his arms. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I didn’t know your name was Arthur.” 

“It’s not,” Francis said, placing his hand on top of the paper bag. “It’s my boyfriend’s name.” 

“Ah,” Yao raised an eyebrow. Francis was  _ always  _ “dating” someone, even if it was someone he had only met at the club or a quick Grindr date. Half of the time, none of them lasted past a week. “And how long have you been dating? Two days?” 

“Two  _ years _ ,” Francis answered, proudly. “He might be The One.” 

Yao rolled his eyes. “Right. You always were the one obsessed with romance, even when it got you nowhere. So, how many heartbreaks did it take to find this one?” 

Francis chuckled. “I see you’re still an old, Bitter Betty. Still no love life, I see?” 

“I’m not old,” Yao quickly said. He held out his hand, not wanting to converse any longer. “15.80, please.” 

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, how have you been, Yao?” Francis continued, ignoring Yao’s hand. 

“Fine,” Yao answered. “15.80, please.” 

“I know you’re very much focused on your business, but, I was wondering, are you keeping up with your art?” 

Groaning, Yao realized he was going to be here for a while. He was already sensing where the discussion was going. “I told you years ago that I quit drag for good. I’m never coming back,” he said. “I assume you came here for a  _ reason _ . So, what do you want, Francis?” 

“You were always such an artist,” Francis continued. He leaned on the counter as he continued to ramble. “Not only with your makeup, but with your performance as well. Such elegance and grace. We’ve gotten a lot of new fans in drag lately, but they’re only into flash and shock. None of them really understand the true beauty of drag.” 

“What do you  _ want _ , Francis?” 

Francis frowned. “You’re so impatient,” he stated. “Fine, I’ll cut to the chase. There’s a new drag queen in town who’s stolen all of my thunder, even though I helped her get her platform,” 

Yao snorted. “Wow, sounds familiar,” he muttered. 

“Hey,  _ I _ was  _ thankful _ for your help for me back in the day,” 

Yao said nothing as he looked away and discreetly rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to comment on Francis’ behavior when he first moved to London. Thankfully, Francis didn’t notice as he continued to reminisce. 

“You were the first one who let me into your house. I never had a proper drag mother back in New York, and I’m happy that you took me in, even if it was short lived. You taught me so much in a short amount of time.” Francis said. 

“Get back to the point, Francis.” 

Francis sighed, looking away. “This new queen...she needs to be put back into her place.” 

“It sounds like you’re jealous to me,” Yao crossed his arms against his chest. He remembered that Francis was  _ always _ jealous of  _ someone _ , and it didn’t matter what for. That person had a better wig than him or they got to perform with the song  _ he _ wanted to perform. Francis could be such a brat sometimes. “But, I know how competitive you are, and since you’re  _ asking _ for my opinion...show me this queen. Do you have a picture of her?” 

Francis smirked. “ _ Of course _ I do,” He pulled out his phone and opened Instagram. He scrolled through Roksana’s profile to find a good picture that showed her whole outfit. Turning the phone around, he showed Yao the picture. 

Yao erupted in laughter. It had been a while since he had a good laugh. “Francis, Francis, Francis,” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “What was the first thing I taught you when you first stepped into my house?” 

Francis pulled his phone away and frowned. “How to color correct my 5:00 shadow?” 

“No!” Yao leaned over the counter to get into his face. “Never be intimidated by a cheap queen!” he said sternly. Stepping away, he shook his head. “And that queen is the cheapest I’ve ever seen. No need to be competitive with her; she’ll get her 15 minutes of fame and then she’ll fade away.” 

“You don’t understand!” Francis hissed. “She’s a better dancer than I am! She gets more tips than I do! People  _ live _ for her. No one even likes me anymore.” 

“Has it ever occurred to you that you might be a bit overdramatic?” Yao asked, rolling his eyes. “I’m telling you; cheap queens are like small flames. Big sparks with no longevity. She’s going to have a huge following at the beginning of her career, but if she doesn’t adapt and really perfect her art, then she’ll fade into the background.” 

“Her art  _ is _ dancing,” Francis put his phone back into his pocket. “Splits, flips, death drops, you name it.” 

“But is there substance in her style besides that? Let’s be real here; I could do all that stuff too, but I also knew how to make the room stop with an artful performance,” Yao shook his head. “You really should know better, Mirage. I know I’ve taught you better. Just trust me; this, what’s her name? Roksana…”

“Pierogi.” 

“Jesus, really?  _ That’s _ her name? Out of all the names in the universe?” 

“Yes,” 

“ _ Wow _ , okay. Yeah, don’t worry about her. Her time is almost up.” 

Francis sighed. “I’m not so sure; times are changing. Sure, people like art, but it’s not like what it used to be,” he said in a low voice. He picked up the bag of food and held onto it. “Listen, I know I’ve got no chance in convincing you, but, I have to ask. Have you ever considered picking up drag again?”

“It’s out of the question,” Yao answered, firmly. 

“Was what happened six years ago  _ so _ bad?” Francis asked. 

Yao took a deep breath and looked away. Francis didn’t even know what had happened. Most of Yao’s drag family and daughters knew and supported Yao’s decision to leave. But not Francis; he had always been too self-absorbed. 

“You’d never understand,” Yao said. “No one ever would.” 

“But how are you expressing yourself? Are you doing any art?” Francis asked. He looked around the restaurant. “I mean, your art and expression are all over this place! Your passion is all on display! But here you are, looking so exhausted and drained; I don’t even think you’re making time for--:

“Don’t psychoanalyze me, Francis.  _ Please _ ,” Yao said. “I cannot ever return to drag. Ever.” 

Francis nodded, remaining silent as he reached into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out his card to pay for the food. Once the food was paid for, Francis took his card back and stood still for a moment. “If you ever want to let loose, you’re always welcome at  **_Atomica_ ** ,” he said in a low voice. 

“I told you, I’m not--”

“I’m not asking you to perform,” Francis added. “ **_Atomica_ ** is where I perform on most weekends. Roksana does too, but she also performs at other clubs.” 

Yao chuckled. “You’re inviting me to come watch that messy queen, aren’t you? As if that would change my mind.” 

“I’m just  _ offering _ you a place of relief. When was the last time you took time for yourself, Yao? Have you even  _ slept _ with anyone lately? I can’t imagine having nowhere to put that tension,” He paused as Yao scowled at him disapprovingly, thinking of a way to rephrase. “I know how hard you work; you pour yourself into  _ everything _ that you do. I’m worried about you.” 

Taking a deep breath, Yao nodded, letting down his defenses a bit. “Okay, okay, I hear you,” He tapped his fingers over the counter and finally sighed. “ **_Atomica_ ** , you said? Is that the new club on the square?” 

Francis raised his eyebrows in question. “On the square? No, no, it’s the one downtown,” he clarified. “There’s a new club?” 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it?” Yao said. “I thought you kept up with all the new clubs. I think this one is called  **_Lyst_ ** ; I only know about it because Li-Xiao’s best friend’s older brother owns it or something.” 

“ **_Lyst_ ** ?” Francis said, repeating the club’s name over and over. “Never heard of it. Then again, I have slowed down since becoming a professor and all. Drag isn’t my only hustle,” He paused. “Oh God, a new club in town means competition, and Ludwig is  _ not _ going to be happy about that.” He was grinning and Yao shook his head; he knew Francis was revelling in the idea of potential drama. 

“Anyways,” Yao sighed, walking away to close up for the night. “Your food is getting cold. You better get home to your boyfriend. Wouldn’t want to get in the way of you two lovebirds.” 

“Yes, I should,” Francis muttered. “Hope to see you again soon, Yao.” He turned and finally walked out of the restaurant. 

Yao sighed with relief and turned off all of the lights. He could finally lock up and go upstairs to the adjacent apartment, where he’d most likely find his siblings playing video games or arguing over something trivial. At this point of the day, Yao didn’t engage with his siblings; he was more interested in doing his bedtime ritual and crawling into bed early. Most of the time, he would watch a little bit of TV and doze off after 2 minutes. 

But tonight was a little different. 

Instead of dozing off to a rerun of his favorite show, Yao logged into his old Instagram account he used for drag. It took him several minutes to remember his password, but soon he was logged in and was greeted with thousands of notifications. Yao ignored the numerous DMs and notifications and went to his profile to admire old posts. 

God, he missed creating art. 

“Dammit Francis,” Yao muttered. “Why do you have to be right?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm impressed that I remembered what day it was! Is time even real anymore in this quarantine? 
> 
> Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well and are staying healthy! Here is the new chapter of this story! I'd love to hear what you guys think of the story so far! Also, if you're interested in supporting this story, here is a link to my Ko-Fi account: https://ko-fi.com/violinia 
> 
> I am thinking and looking into ways to maybe give early access to the chapters if you donate to the Ko-Fi to make it more special. 
> 
> I also just want to remind you guys that, if you haven't already, please check out and give a kudos to the Polish translation of "The Battle of Warszawa" (Bitwa o Warszawę); medka is working really hard on the translation and is doing a wonderful job!! Chapter 2 was posted a few days ago. Please go and give them your support in any way that you can, even if you cannot read the language!!! 
> 
> See you soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Tumblr: @bonnefoys  
> Twitter: @kviolinia


	4. Petty

The new tea and coffee shop that opened across from **_The Book Nook_ ** had a _fantastic_ selection of teas. When they first opened, Arthur was worried that they would take away some of his business, given the fact that he also had a cafe in addition to his book shop. But within the second day of opening, one of the co-owners of **_Tea Meditation_ ** came over and asked if he would like to work together. **_Tea Meditation_ ** would supply some of their tea and coffee blends with **_The Book Nook_ ** for the cafe, while **_The Book Nook_ ** offered some books for **_Tea Meditation_ ** to advertise. 

Basically, the two businesses were helping each other be successful; it was a working relationship. 

The couple that ran **_Tea Meditation_ ** were an interesting duo. Berwald, who was the master at blending tea leaves for flavors and roasting the coffee beans, was an extremely quiet man. Arthur was fairly certain he had only heard Berwald speak once, and it was a simple “hm.” Tiino, on the other hand, was a chatterbox. Strike up a conversation with Tiino and you would be guaranteed to be talking with him for _at least_ an hour. Both of them were so different, and yet, they seemed to complement each other, making them the perfect couple. 

Arthur always woke up early to make sure all things in business were in order (much to Francis’ dismay). It was also in the early morning when Tiino and Berwald dropped off their tea blends. Arthur would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t look forward to the interaction. 

“Good morning, Arthur!” Tiino greeted, waving as he and his husband walked into the store. 

“Good morning!” Arthur returned the greeting with a bright smile. “How are you both this morning?” 

“We’re doing great, a little tired, though. How about you?” They stopped right in front of the counter and Berwald slid the box of teas and coffee grounds on the counter. 

“Oh, you know, the usual,” Arthur peeked into the box, catching a whiff of the delightful smell of teas. “I must say, I’ve been obsessed with your Earl Grey blend. It’s very fragrant, which I really like.” After trying the teas from Tiino and Berwald, Arthur was sure he’d never go back to buying and drinking tea sold in stores ever again. 

“We’re so glad you like it!” Tiino exclaimed. “I hope your customers like it as much as you do.” 

“Like it? They love it! I can barely keep it in stock at the cafe,” Arthur picked up the box of teas and coffee and carried it into the kitchen. “People also really love the coffee; especially the dark roast. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but my boyfriend is. He won’t stop raving about how velvety the coffee is.” 

This was _partially_ true. Francis did, in fact, love the coffee from **_Tea Meditation_ ** , but he was insistent on saying that his imported coffee grounds from Italy were _far_ superior. Arthur knew he was lying, because Francis hadn’t restocked his old coffee and continued to request the blend from Tiino and Berwald’s shop. Though, he knew Francis would say “I’m trying to _decide_ if I like it or not” as an excuse. 

“Ah! We’re so happy that you really like our stuff!” Tiino cheered, smiling. “We also came over to display some more of your books,” 

“Of course,” Arthur hurried back behind the front counter and picked up a box of slightly used books. These were Arthur’s own personal copies of some of the books he sold in the shop; some of them were well loved as he had read them over and over again. Francis always teased him for being “behind the times” and not investing in a tablet of some sort, so he could read an infinite amount of books whenever and wherever he wanted. But holding an electronic device to read a book didn’t feel right to him; it felt silly. 

Handing the box to Berwald, Arthur smiled proudly. “These are some of my favorites, and I’m hoping they sell well this year,” he said. “Perhaps them being displayed here and in your shop will help.” 

“I’m positive it will,” Tiino replied. Berwald was already heading for the door, opening it by walking backwards. “Hey, we’d love to have you and Francis over for dinner sometime. Does Friday night work for you?” Tiino added, slowly making his way to the door. 

“Sorry, Francis...has a prior obligation on Friday and Saturday,” Arthur answered. 

“You have something this weekend as well, don’t you, Tiino?” Berwald muttered.

Tiino’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot!” he said with a hint of worry in his voice. Whatever it was, it must have been stressful. “How about Sunday? Is Sunday open for you two?” 

“Sunday’s perfect!” Arthur replied. “What would you like us to bring?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that; we’ll cook everything! Just bring yourselves!” Not paying attention as he was walking backwards towards the exit, Tino bumped into his husband. He looked up at him and giggled. “Berwald here loves to bake!”

“I do. It’s a great stress relief,” Berwald chimed in, mumbling.

“Name any cake, and he can bake it to perfection!” Tino finished. 

“Well, I can’t wait! I’ll confirm with Francis and hope to see you Sunday!” Arthur said. 

The three of them said their goodbyes and as Tiino and Berwald made their way back across the street, Arthur walked up the stairs to his apartment. Stepping back inside, he found that the apartment was still dark, meaning that Francis was still sleeping. Quietly tiptoeing back into the bedroom, Arthur gently touched his shoulder to wake him up. 

“Hey, love,” he whispered. “Can I get you some breakfast?” 

With his face in his pillow, Francis answered with an unintelligible groan. 

“What was that? Waffles? You’d like some waffles?” 

Francis lifted his head up from the pillow and frowned. Arthur couldn’t help but smile; this was the only time he actually saw Francis disheveled. His wavy hair stood up in the wrong ways, sitting atop his head like a jumbled mess. It was honestly adorable. 

“You know you’re only allowed to cook the frozen kind,” Francis said, sinking back down under the sheets.. 

“Oh, come on. I can easily make real ones,” Arthur said, stepping away from the bed. “We have some mix around here, don’t we? I’ll just mix it up.” 

“Arthur, there is a box of frozen waffles in the freezer. If you’re going to make waffles, you’re going to make those.” Francis said, sternly. 

“I can make the--”

“This is the _third_ waffle iron we had to repurchase,” Francis reminded him. He finally sat up, yawning. “Because you _insist_ that the waffle timer isn’t correct and end up burning the waffle so royally, it ruins the iron!” 

“Well if they would just make my waffles crisp, we wouldn’t have a problem. I won’t break it this time,” Arthur said. “Promise.” 

Francis looked at him skeptically before standing up and making his way over to his partner. “Arthur, I love you so much, but you’re a terrible cook,” he said. He kissed him tenderly and smiled, affectionately tapping Arthur’s nose before turning away. “Use the frozen ones, _mon chou_.” 

Sighing, Arthur smiled, knowing Francis was right. “Alright, frozen waffles it is,” he said. “By the way, I know you don’t have much time before you run off to work, but, I just thought I’d mention we’re to have dinner with Berwald and Tiino on Sunday. I just made plans.” 

Francis stood in the doorway and leaned against the door frame. “Sunday? But that’s our evening off,” 

“Yes, I know. But I thought it’d be nice to make new friends. We already have a standing friendship with Berwald and Tiino.” Arthur clarified. 

Francis smiled. “It’ll be nice to talk to people who aren’t connected in the drag circle,” he added. “Is this what couples do? Are we becoming more and more domestic, _mon chou_?” 

“Seems so, love,” Arthur grinned. “As long as it’s okay with you, of course.” 

“Of course it is. It’s what I’ve always wanted, deep down.” Francis walked away and made his way to the bathroom. Arthur chuckled to himself, making his way to his bedside table and opening the drawer where the engagement ring sat. Contemplating for a few seconds, Arthur closed the drawer, leaving the ring inside, and made his way to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. 

After setting the table, Francis was all dressed and came over to sit at the table. Arthur always made sure that Francis’ French press was ready so that all Francis needed to do was push down the plunger and pour his cup of coffee. The two of them sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company as they ate breakfast at their own pace. Arthur typically read a chapter or two of whatever book he was reading at the time while occasionally sipping his tea. Francis, on the other hand, would catch up on the news on his phone and check his Instagram for any new interactions from fans. 

Francis was the first one to finish his breakfast and soon stood up to take his dishes to the sink to wash. He quickly finished his cup of coffee before rushing over to gather his things to head off to work. “I’ll be home a little bit later this evening,” Francis mentioned, grabbing his jacket. “I’m having a brief meeting with Ludwig later.” 

“I hope everything’s alright,” Arthur replied, standing up. 

“Yes, yes, everything’s fine. I heard some news that there’s a new club in town and you know me, I love being nosy.” Francis explained. 

“That you do,” Arthur stood behind his partner, pulling him close. “I only assume you’re going to see if there’s drama between **_Atomica_ ** and this new place?” 

Francis winked. “Me? Looking for drama? Never,” He turned to kiss Arthur and pulled away to put his jacket on. “I’m also looking to see if it’s alright I perform elsewhere occasionally.” 

“I’m sure Ludwig will have no problem with that.” Arthur stated. 

“True, Ludwig can be reasonable. Sometimes. As long as you catch him in a good mood. That’s usually after he and Feli have had...a _good_ night.” 

“Right, and how do you know when that is?” 

Francis smirked. “Well, Ludwig loves routines and Feli has a big mouth that he can’t keep shut. So, let’s just say...a little birdie told me. That, and I’m usually pretty good at putting two and two together.” 

Arthur shook his head and chuckled. “Alright, well, have a good day at work and have a good meeting with Ludwig.” 

“And you have a good day with the shop, _mon chou_ ,” Francis said, opening the door. “ _Je t’aime_.” 

“I love you, too,” Arthur replied, smiling. They kissed again before Francis walked out of the door. When the door closed, Arthur sighed to himself and wandered back to the kitchen table. “When the hell do I propose to him?” 

Every morning, Leon met Emil at his house before they went to campus. Oftentimes, Leon would just arrive at the house to see Emil step out, lethargic as ever. Other days, Emil’s older brother would invite Leon in and wait as he dragged his little brother out of bed to go to school. 

Today was one of those days. 

“I’ll go wake him up,” Lukas said, walking around the kitchen island and making his way to the staircase. “Make yourself at home, Leon. You’re welcome to eat anything you’d like in the kitchen.” 

“Thank you,” Leon answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Contemplating grabbing a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl, Leon turned away and looked around the house. 

Leon was slightly jealous of his friend’s house. Emil, though personally was very down to earth, came from money and prestige. Emil’s parents had investments in companies around the world and successful businesses all throughout Norway. Being the oldest, Lukas had been given a chunk of money to basically do what he wanted, and with it, he moved to London after his university studies. After his boyfriend convinced him to do so, Lukas opened up a new nightclub, which ended up being an immediate success. 

Deciding that he didn’t want to study in Norway, Emil moved into his brother’s big house. And though Emil tried to play it off that he hated his brother, Leon knew that Emil was grateful for his older brother and looked up to him. 

Lukas soon came back down the stairs and walked over to the kitchen island. “Emil’s on his way down,” he said, in a low voice. “In the meantime, could I offer you something to eat or drink? Coffee?” Turning around, Lukas picked up the coffee pot and sighed. “Sorry, I thought there was at least another cup in here. I have apple juice; would you like some of that, maybe?” 

Before Leon could answer, Lukas had already grabbed the apple juice container from the refrigerator and was pouring it into a small glass. He slid the glass across the island towards Leon, who picked it up promptly and took a sip. Smiling, he lifted the glass up a little bit. 

“Thanks,” he said. 

“I heard that you and Emil ran into a professor of yours at **_Atomica_ ** last week,” Lukas mentioned. 

“Yeah,” Leon mumbled. Emil wasn’t supposed to say anything to anyone, but then again, Emil thought that encounter had been hilarious. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Really? I heard the professor wanted to speak with you specifically after it all happened,” Lukas added. “Nothing happened, right?”

“No, no; Professor Bonnefoy is just a weirdo, that’s it,” Leon concluded. “Did Emil tell you that it was a big deal?”

“No, he didn’t give much detail,” Lukas turned and filled up the coffee pot to make another full pot. Turning around, he smirked a little. “Emil likes being secretive with me. He tells me that I’m too nosy,” He paused. “I heard he fell on his ass.” 

Leon snorted at the memory. “He really ate it. Tumbled down the steps like a ragdoll, honestly. He was just really embarrassed that a student saw him being a mess.”

Lukas snickered. “So, you saw your professor fall on his ass and you didn’t get it on video?”

“It’s not like I was waiting for it to happen…” Leon said, his voice trailing off as he heard footsteps coming from the stairwell. Both Emil and Lukas’ partner, Matthias, wandered into the kitchen. 

“Mornin’!” Matthias cheered. He came over to Lukas’ side and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Lukas groaned in protest, but he gave a small smile and returned a kiss. 

Emil sighed as he walked towards Leon, grabbing a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl. “Alright, see you later,” he mumbled to Lukas and Matthias. 

“No coffee?” Lukas asked. “It should be ready in a few.” 

“No, I’ll get some of the cheap stuff on campus. It’s free.” 

Lukas grimaced. “Cheap stuff? You know better than to drink cheap coffee!” 

“We really don’t have much time to linger,” Leon chimed in, glancing at his friend. They both slowly started inching their way to the door. “It’s easier if we get a head start now and possibly get some coffee once we reach campus.” 

“Yeah, but at what cost? Your tastebuds?” Lukas said. 

“I’m fine with taking a risk,” Emil stated. He opened the door and stood aside to let Leon through. “My taste buds have tasted far worse things, afterall.” 

Lukas shook his head disapprovingly while the coffee maker beeped. “How are we related? I would _never_ sacrifice my taste buds like that. But your choice is your choice,” He gave a small smile. “Have a good day,”

“Yep, yep. Bye.” 

Emil closed the door behind him and pushed ahead of his friend. Leon hurried to catch up to him and glanced back at the house. “Hey, why do you push your brother away? He’s just being nice.” he asked.

“He’s too nosy,” Emil answered. 

“I think he just wants to know what’s going on in your life. He cares,” Leon added. “At least he’s pleasant and kind. It’s hard to tell if my brother cares with his constant criticism.” 

“I’m sure he does,” Emil said. He chuckled. “I actually think constant criticism is proof that he cares about you a lot.” 

Leon sighed. “I guess; it’s just exhausting trying to make him happy or proud of me. I’d switch places with you in a heartbeat.” 

“Really?” Emil scoffed. “I mean, I guess Lukas is alright,” He paused, thinking of how to change the topic somehow. They continued walking in silence for a while, before reaching a crosswalk. “You’ve heard about **_Lyst_ **, right?” 

“Lukas and Matthias own it, correct?” 

“It’s annoying when everyone on campus comes up to me and says ‘hey, your older brother owns that club, right?’ Ugh,” Emil put his hands in his pockets and sighed. “It’s so annoying when you just want to be left alone.” 

“I wouldn’t think too much about it,” Leon said. “It actually kind of makes your life more interesting. I mean, it’s such a trope to be from a family who owns a restaurant. A family that owns a nightclub? That’s pretty cool. No one ever comes up to me and says ‘hey, you have that cool restaurant, right?’ How boring of me.” 

Emil smirked and shook his head. “You have a weird point of view,” The light finally turned green and the two of them were able to cross the street safely. Once they crossed the street, they walked beneath the huge arch that was the entrance to campus. “But I suppose you’re right.” 

“Duh, I know I’m right.” 

As they walked across campus to one of the many campus cafes, Leon caught a glimpse of Professor Bonnefoy rushing across campus to the psych building. His professor looked around and briefly made eye contact with Leon. Leon raised his hand to wave, but Emil gently pushed his hand down. 

“Don’t wave to him,” Emil muttered. “He’s gonna come over here and talk to us.” 

“I’m just being nice,” Leon replied. 

Emil sighed. “I thought you said we weren’t gonna make it weird,” he said. “Waving and being nice to him is making it _weird_.” The both froze as they saw their professor approaching them with a bright smile on his face. 

“Good morning Leon and Emil,” Francis greeted. “Are you two ready for the test today?” 

“Sure,” Emil answered, turning away. “Is it going to be really hard?” 

“It won’t be if you studied,” Francis said. 

“I feel pretty prepared,” Leon mentioned, pulling up his backpack a bit. “I studied all night.” 

“That’s great, but I do hope you got some rest,” Francis said. “You university students are terrible with time management.” 

“It’s hard to get rest when all the professors give us tons of work to do,” Emil chimed in rolling his eyes. 

Francis sighed and nodded. “Yes, unfortunately that is true. I do try to take that into consideration in my assignments--”

“You do?!?!” Emil and Leon asked simultaneously. Professor Bonnefoy didn’t necessarily assign a lot of _work_ to do, but he gave them _tons_ of reading to do and expected them to have taken notes before the next class. Though Professor Bonnefoy didn’t spend time scolding his students for not doing their work, he _did_ leave passive aggressive comments during class, wishing his students had better work ethic even if they were taking the class to fulfill a social science requirement. 

“Well, yes. Most of your homework is reading, yes? If you do the readings, the class should be a breeze.” 

“Well, yes, but also no,” Emil mumbled under his breath. 

“Anyways,” Francis said, turning away. “I don’t want to hold you two up. I just wanted to say hello. I’ll see you both in class this afternoon.” He froze for a second. “Oh, and Leon, if we don’t get a chance to speak after the test, tell your brother I said hello!” 

“Wha--?!” 

“See you!” 

As they watched their professor walk away, Emil took a deep breath. “That’s embarrassing.” 

“How does he know my brother?” Leon asked in shock. 

“Who knows, he’s just weird. Probably looked you up on Facebook or something.” 

“I haven’t logged into that in ages,” Leon mentioned. “And neither has Yao. He hates most social media stuff.” 

Emil shrugged. “I dunno. They’re both old, so maybe they know each other that way. Old people just seem to know each other for no reason.” 

Laughing a bit, Leon shrugged it off as they stepped up to the cafe counter to make their orders. “Yeah, that’s probably it.” 

“Yes, I am very much aware that there is another gay nightclub in town,” Ludwig mumbled. He was busy looking through the different bills and finances for **_Atomica_ **. “I’ve met the owners and they’re quite nice. Is this what you had to rush in and tell me?” 

“Yes!! I thought you’d be frustrated that there’s big competition now,” Francis said, crossing his legs. Being the petty bitch that he was, Francis was on a mission to start drama. He was intrigued that there was a new club so close to **_Atomica_ **, and he wanted to know Ludwig’s opinion of it all. 

“After all, **_Atomica_ ** has been on top for quite some time now.” he finished. 

Ludwig put down the files he was looking at and gave Francis a scowl. “Your point?” 

“I just was saying, is all,” Francis mentioned, crossing his legs. “I was wondering if it would be okay if I considered performing there.” 

“Of course,” Ludwig replied, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.” 

Francis sighed; he should’ve known better that Ludwig wouldn’t think much of his request. “Well, I’ve been so loyal to **_Atomica_ ** for years. I just wasn’t sure if you’d let me be...disloyal.” 

“Feliks performs wherever he feels like, I don’t see why you can’t,” He shuffled some papers around and stood up, turning his back to Francis as he began putting the papers into a filing cabinet. “Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t asked sooner.” 

“Well, I didn’t find a need to,” Francis answered, looking at his fingernails. “Where else does Feliks perform, exactly?”

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask him?” He paused and looked over his shoulder. “Unless you two are in some petty fight. _Again_.” 

“No, no, we’re not in a petty fight,” Francis sighed. 

“I heard you were jealous of Feliks,” 

Francis laughed. “Come on, Ludwig. Me? Jealous of Feliks? _Please_.” 

Ludwig laughed and shook his head. “Feli told me about your argument with Feliks the other night. Granted, I heard you were under the influence, but still,” He sat back down and scooted his chair forward. “It seems to me that you’re jealous of her increase of fame.” 

“I am _not_ jealous of that _cheap_ queen,” Francis hissed. “She may have dancing talent, but that will only take her so far.” 

“I suppose now’s not a good time to tell you that Feliks received a pay increase this past month,” Ludwig muttered. 

“In tips, right?” 

“No, in booking fees.” 

Francis jumped out of his seat swiftly and frowned. “What?! You raised her pay but not mine?!” 

“I thought that’s why you came here, frankly. You heard through the grapevine and were here to ask for a raise. I’m happy to give you a raise.” 

“How much does she make? £50, for a booking fee, plus tips?” 

Ludwig hesitated, looking at his hands. When he didn’t reply, Francis huffed and put his hands on his hips. 

“£100?” 

Clearing his throat, Ludwig looked to the side. “Have I ever told you that Tolys is a good businessman? A very good negotiator.” 

“What do you pay Roksana Pierogi??! Just to book her for a show?!” Francis demanded. 

“£200,” Ludwig finally answered.

“For a _booking fee_??!! And then gets what, another £200 or £300 in tips, give or take???” 

“Yes,” He took a deep breath and held it in for a bit. “And that’s what we settled on. Feliks initially gave a number that was, frankly, way out of reason. Tolys and I negotiated and though he wanted it to be around £250 - £300, we were able to settle on £200. I deemed it to be fair given the fact that Feliks _does_ have a background in dancing. It’s what his degree is in." 

“£200????? Just to book her??? No one charges that high unless they’re super famous!! Which she is _not_!” 

“Look, I want our performers here to be able to make a living or at least try to. Drag is Feliks' full time job, whereas your full time job is being a professor at a university. Financially speaking, you are in a better spot than--”

“I've been a drag queen longer than Feliks has!” Francis blurted. “I practically _made_ **_Atomica_ ** what it is in the drag community today. I brought the crowds here! How dare you--”

“Like I said, Feliks' full time job is drag, yours is teaching. Feliks has education in the performing arts--”

“He has _one_ degree. _One_. I have three--”

“In _psychology_. I believe there's a bit of a difference.”

Francis crossed his arms against his chest and shook his head. “Well then, I want to charge £200 too. It's only fair.” 

“That’s fine, I’m not going to argue with you about that,” Ludwig agreed nonchalantly. “And I will encourage you to perform elsewhere too. Feliks manages to make more money outside of London. I’m not really sure how he, or Tolys, does it, but I guess people who live outside of the city have more money to pay and tip.” 

“Does **_Lyst_ ** pay well? I think I want to perform there. They seem like they’ll appreciate a queen like me,” Francis asked. 

Ludwig rolled his eyes and groaned. “We appreciate you, Francis. Feli and I are grateful for all that you have done for us while performing here,” He paused. “But do as you must.”

Francis smiled and sat back down in his seat, happy. “Well then, that was far too easy, Ludwig.” 

“What do you _want_ me to do, Francis? You want me to stomp my feet and yell at you?” Ludwig said, perturbed. 

“Of course not,” Francis said, looking away. “Though, it would make things rather interesting.” 

“What is up with you lately? Are you _that_ bored? _And_ petty?” Ludwig asked. “Do you really want to stir up drama that much?” 

Francis was still for a moment, thinking. _I can’t believe I’m saying this…_ “I think **_Atomica_ ** needs to bring in other queens if Feliks and I are performing elsewhere,” he said. 

Ludwig nodded. “Of course; Feli and I have been on the lookout for other queens who may be interested in performing here. Do you recommend anyone?” 

Francis took a deep breath. “Well, I have a former friend who I’m trying my best to convince to return to drag. She was one of a kind, really.” 

“We’re looking for queens who are currently working, not ones who have retired,” Ludwig mentioned. 

“She’s not retired, she just quit...for some reason,” Francis clarified. 

“You don’t even know why she quit? I thought you were--”

“She keeps her personal life private,” Francis quickly lied. “But I think she had some familial issues to tend to or _something_. Anyways, let me continue speaking with her. She’ll come around soon.” 

Ludwig looked at him, skeptical and sighed. “Well, if you’re sure she’s on her way back, perhaps Feli and I could reach out to her and offer her a stage to perform once she’s ready. Does she have an email address or and Instagram we could message?” 

“Of course, I think both accounts are _misshuali_. You want me to spell it?” 

Ludwig took a moment to write down the name. “No, I’ve got it,” he muttered. “Anyone else?” 

“She’s all I can think of at the moment…” Francis said, his voice trailing off. 

“If you think of anyone else, please do not hesitate to let me know. Roksana put in a recommendation for Elektra City. Do you know of her? Apparently she’s relatively new to London.” 

Francis shook his head. “Never heard of her. Clever name, though.” 

“Well, alright. I’ll contact both of them and see if they’re available. Thank you for your input, Francis. I will take it into consideration. Your booking fee will also be raised for this weekend and it will remain at £200 for future gigs here at **_Atomica_ **,” Ludwig concluded, standing up. “Is there anything you’d like to address?” 

Francis stood up as well and stretched. “Nope,” he answered. “It’s a pleasure as always, Ludwig.” 

“Likewise,” Ludwig said, walking around his desk to open the door for Francis. “I’ll see you on Friday. Have a good rest of your evening and week.” 

“The same for you,” Francis replied as he stepped out of the office. He heard the door close gently behind him as he walked down the hallway, making his way to the exit. As he stepped out of the building, he smiled. “Watch out, Miss Roksana Pierogi,” Francis said to himself. “Mirage Voilà always comes back with a vengeance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Francis you petty bitch. 
> 
> Hiya! I hope all of you are well!! Francis is being a little ridiculous, isn't he? Anyways, I thought I would explain a thing or two about this chapter. 
> 
> So. I know that Denmark's name, technically speaking, is NOT Matthias. It's my personal preference to keep it as Matthias, because it's just a...nicer name? More unique, perhaps? All the other names I've seen for Denmark are a variant of "Christensen" or "Andersen" which both come across more of a last name to me. Matthias just seems to suit him more than the other names listed?????? Idk sue me (jk please don't do that I don't have any money). 
> 
> The next thing I wanted to briefly point out is just for less confusion, Emil will have the same last name as Lukas (Bondevik). I'm aware that Iceland has a different last name than Norway, but just for the sake of the story, they will have the same last name. 
> 
> Lastly, I know there's also debate over Finland's name. Is it Timo or Tino or Tiino? Again, I went with my personal preference and chose "Tiino" instead of "Timo." 
> 
> I guess if you would like to roast my personal choices, feel free to do so in the comments below. :) 
> 
> Anyways, I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it's a bit dull, like most of my chapters in the beginning of my stories usually are. We're getting to the more interesting stuff, I promise. I just...need to set everything up and make sure all the characters are introduced first before we get there. 
> 
> Comments and critiques are welcome! See you all soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> @bonnefoys (Tumblr)  
> @kviolinia (Twitter)


	5. Devious is Not a Cute Quality

_London, England_

_March 1993_

“Mama, can I go outside?” Yao asked, looking out the huge storefront window. 

Across the street was an art shop filled with pottery and other various art supplies. He had seen the woman who owned the shop walking around outside, occasionally watering the plants and painting something on a canvas while her son was sitting on the stoop, playing games on a handheld console by himself. Ever since they moved, Yao had missed his friends from Beijing. School hadn’t started yet, and he was bored of sitting around watching his mother clean and prepare the restaurant for its grand opening. He wanted to make new friends. 

“No,” his mother replied. 

“Why?” he asked. “It’s so nice outside, Mama. And look, there’s a kid over there! Maybe we can be friends!” 

Saying nothing, she grabbed a spray bottle and wiped down the new menus, despite them already being clean. She wanted everything to be perfect for the grand opening of the restaurant. “You’ll make new friends when school starts. Why don’t you practice your English?” 

“But I’ve completed every chapter in the book! Three times!” Yao whined. He tapped on the book cover with his pencil and pouted. “Can’t I play outside, Mama? Please?” 

Being in a new city made her overprotective of her son. Looking at her young son (who was pouting to make her feel guilty) and sighed. She seemed sympathetic towards his loneliness, and relented. “Let me finish this, and then we can go across the street and introduce ourselves, okay?” she said, with a smile. 

“Okay!!” 

Watching his mother put everything back meticulously, he eventually made his way over to the door, looking out the window. His mother soon came to stand behind him and gently put her hand on his head. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and the two of them stepped out of the restaurant, hearing the door close behind them. 

“Take my hand,” his mother said. She reached for Yao’s hand before they stepped out into the street, making their way to the other side. As they approached the shop, the woman who had been painting looked up from her canvas and stood up to greet them. 

“Hello!” she said. She gave a little nod and a bow before smiling. “I must apologize, but my shop is closed for the day.” 

“That’s okay,” Yao said, cheerfully. “We came to say hi!” 

Yao’s mother smiled. “Yes, it was my son’s idea to say hello,” she stated. “My name is Meixiu, and this is my son, Yao.” 

The woman nodded again. “I’m Yuna, and my son,” She turned to look at the staircase by the shop’s entrance where her son was still sitting, playing video games. “I’m sorry, he’s very shy. Kiku--” When she called his name, he looked up and glanced at Yao and his mother. His eyes widened with fear, like he was anxious about meeting someone new, and shook his head. 

“Kiku, please?” his mother pleaded. Shaking his head again, Kiku tensed up as if he was trying to make himself smaller or invisible as he put his attention back to the video game he was playing. 

“I’m really sorry; he has a lot of social anxiety. We are trying to work through it. Excuse me for a moment.” Yuna quickly turned and sat down next to her son, pulling him close. She whispered something to him and eventually, Kiku nodded and they stood up together. Gently taking his hand, Yuna led her son over to where Meixiu and Yao were standing. “This is my son Kiku. Kiku, can you say hello?” 

“Hello,” Kiku mumbled, keeping his head low. 

Yuna smiled and rubbed Kiku’s shoulders, reassuring him. “Kiku, this is Yao. I believe you two are around the same age. Maybe you two can be friends?” 

Kiku glanced at Yao and gave a small smile. “Hi, um,” He looked down at the game console he was holding and gently offered it to Yao. 

“Is this a Gameboy?” Yao asked, excitedly. 

Kiku only answered with a nod. 

“I’ve always wanted one! May I try it?” 

“Mmhm,” Kiku held out the Gameboy even further, encouraging Yao to take the console. Excited, Yao took the console, turned it around so he could see the screen properly. Kiku stepped around him so he could watch over his shoulder. Yao began pressing random buttons, causing the character to jump recklessly, occasionally hitting blocks and jumping on enemies until he fell into a pit. 

“You have to--” Kiku began. 

“I’m gonna try again!” Yao insisted. As the game reset, he proceeded to mash buttons randomly, resulting in the same ending: the character falling into a pit. “I think your game is broken,” Yao concluded, frowning.

“No,” Kiku replied, taking the console back. He was smiling and holding back a laugh from Yao’s incapability to beat the first level. “Here. Let me show you.” 

As the two boys stood next to each other, taking turns playing the video game, Meixiu moved to stand besides Yuna and smiled. “It seems like they will get along nicely,” she said. 

“Woaah!! How did you do that???!!!” Yao exclaimed, amazed by Kiku’s ability at the game. 

Kiku smiled and laughed. “It’s really easy,” 

“How do you do that??? I wanna try!”

“I have to go through this level first.” 

Yuna nodded and smiled at Meixiu. “Yes,” she agreed, happy that her son had made a new friend. “I believe you’re right.” 

_Present Day_

Yao forgot how _pestering_ Francis Bonnefoy could be. 

He regretted logging back into his Instagram account, because now he got endless notifications not just from Francis, but from people glancing at his artwork, liking it and not realizing that there hadn’t been a new post in years. And now, with all of this happening at once, Yao was _ridiculously_ considering returning back to drag. He knew he wouldn’t follow through because business at the restaurant was far more important than putting makeup on his face or going out and dancing. 

There was a ding from his phone, indicating there was yet another message from Francis. Yao groaned and finally decided to respond this time. 

**_themiragevoila_ ** _: have you given what we talked about some consideration?_

 **_misshuali:_ ** _new phone, who this?_

 **_themiragevoila:_ ** _okay i know you’re bad with technology and all, but please tell me you’re not THAT bad to think that would have worked? anyways, i’ve recommended you to Ludwig and Feli, the owners of atomica. seriously, you should consider it. it pays well!_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: working at my restaurant pays well too_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: Yao, come on!! do you seriously not miss doing drag at all? you logged into your account, afterall. that’s a sign._

 **_misshuali_ ** _: okay fine, i do miss it. but i’m not returning._

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: wwhhhhhyyyyyyyyy_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: because i’m not._

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: okay fiiiiiiiine, don’t come back. but at least consider coming to a performance. Roksana’s performing this weekend; at least come and see what she’s like._

Yao sighed; it would be interesting to see this queen Francis was so intimidated by. Perhaps he could arrange something. 

**_misshuali_ ** _: i’ll consider. but not because you want me to return to drag._

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: wonderful! if you decide to come, please let me know! i’d love to show you around!_

 **_misshuali_ ** _:_ 😑 _what part of i’m not coming back to drag do you not understand?_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _:_ 😘 

“I thought you deleted your Instagram way back,” Kiku said as he walked past Yao. He turned on the stove and pulled down a few woks that were hanging above it. 

“What do you mean?” Yao replied, playing dumb. He put his phone back into his pocket and grabbed a few extra woks for himself. 

Kiku gave him a side glance and sighed. “I thought you deleted it when you quit,” he clarified. 

“I check it every now and then,” Yao said. 

“What for? It’s not like you're posting anything new or accepting gigs,” Kiku poured some oil into one of the woks and turned around to cut up some vegetables. A small smile appeared over his lips. “Are you thinking of returning? I’d be happy to sew you something new.” 

Yao sighed; it was tempting, as Kiku had made nearly all of Yao’s costumes and outfits for drag. The clothing he made were always sewn with careful and thorough thought. Kiku's outfits never fell apart like the cheap costumes from any online store. The two had been friends ever since they were kids, and though Kiku was younger by one year, he was always supportive of Yao’s art as Yao was supportive of his. 

After all, Kiku fulfilled his art degree with never having the looming threat of familial excommunication hanging over his head. 

“You’re still making costumes for other queens, correct?” Yao asked, attempting to push the focus away from him. 

“Yes, I’m still commissioning,” Kiku answered, tossing the cut vegetables into the hot wok. “I’ll lower the cost for you since you’re retur--”

“I’m not returning,” Yao interrupted. “Don’t get your hopes up.” 

Kiku sighed and shook his head. “You should,” he said. “Your brother and sister are grown up now. You don’t have to put all the things you want to do on hold anymore. Make time for yourself again.” 

Taking a moment to listen to Kiku’s words, Yao groaned. “You know I hate it when you’re right,” he muttered. “But I can’t return. For the sake of the bus--”

“The restaurant closes at 9; that’s plenty of time for you to close up and get into drag and put on a show.” Kiku said. 

“Yes, but I’m tired by then,” Yao began cutting up some chicken into small pieces. 

“I literally watched you pull two all-nighters in college and then put on three performances in a weekend. I think if--” 

“Yes, but I was in my 20s then,” Yao argued. “And I wasn’t raising my siblings then, either. I was on my own, remember?”

Kiku chuckled. “For someone who hates being called old, you certainly like using your age as an excuse,” Before Yao could defensively reply, Kiku gently placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It was a joke. Don’t get mad. I remember. I was your roommate.” 

Smiling, Yao shook his head. “I know, I know.” He crossed his arms and watched as Kiku tossed some vegetables into the pan. _Maybe it’s really time to consider taking time for myself again…_ He thought to himself. But here was his struggle: he had been so selfish in his early 20s. _Incredibly_ selfish. Taking time for himself meant that he’d be selfish again, and quite possibly, lose his family as a consequence. 

“You’re overthinking,” Kiku mumbled. “I can hear you overthinking from here.” 

“Fine, I’ll consider it,” Yao groaned. “You and Mirage both are getting on my nerves.” 

Kiku turned to him and raised an eyebrow in question. “Oh, you’re speaking with Mirage again? After what she did?” He had never liked Francis nor his drag persona. Even though it had been years since they had spoken, Yao could still hear Kiku’s disdain for Francis in his tone. 

“What happened is...normal. Drag queens are selfish by nature, and it’s normal for them to push others out of the spotlight to serve themselves.” Yao said. 

“Sure, but she didn’t need to act like a brat about it,” Kiku replied. “You’ve always been too nice to your drag daughters. She came in already pushing people out of the way and practically demanded spots to perform, regardless of who was already set to perform that night. I’m all for knowing your self-worth, but Mirage was annoyingly cocky just because she got her start in New York. Not to mention she didn’t even--” 

“Well, she came to me the other night and pretty much begged for me to come back,” Yao mentioned, interrupting his friend. 

“Oh really?” Kiku transferred the cooked food to a plate, slid it onto a shelf, and hit a bell. “What for?” he asked, suspicious. 

“Apparently some new queen has come in and stolen her thunder,” Yao explained. 

Kiku snorted. “Ah. Karma’s a bitch then, huh?” He paused. “So what, she wants you to come back to push this new queen out so she can have the spotlight again?” He shook his head in disgust. “She’ll do whatever it takes for her to stay on top. Gross.” 

“It’s Mirage Voilà, do we expect anything else?” 

“True, but she could at least grow up a little. So, who’s this new queen? Did she give you a name?” 

“Yes, Pierogi something.”

Kiku froze. “Roksana Pierogi?” 

Yao glanced at him. “You know her?”

“Yes, very well, actually,” Kiku looked at the next order and added more ingredients to the pan. “She’s been commissioning me nonstop for outfits. She’s a little kooky, but sweet. I’m a little surprised that _the_ Mirage Voilà is intimidated by sweet little Roksana.” 

Yao gave a confused look to Kiku. “You’ve worked with her?” 

“Yes. I’ve been to a couple of her shows as well. She’s a joy to watch. A little crazy at times with little to no planning, but she’s fun.” 

That was a completely different account than Francis’. When Francis spoke of this “Roksana,” Yao was nearly under the impression that she was awful and cheap. The picture Francis had shown might have been old, after all, to give the impression that she was worse than she actually was. 

“Can you show me a picture of her?” Yao asked. 

Kiku tilted his head and smirked. “Ah, questioning Mirage’s motives and validity, huh? What did she say to you exactly about Roksana?” He pulled out his phone and opened Instagram, flipping through different posts on Roksana’s page. 

“That she’s a gimmick queen,” Yao answered. “Only really dances and flips and kicks and such.” 

“Well, that’s partially true. From what I understand, she mostly does _that_ style at **_Atomica_ **,” Kiku clarified. “I’ve seen her perform at a few other clubs outside of London, and she’s entirely different. I think she puts in a lot of effort to know what kind of audience attends each club so she knows how to put on an appropriate show.” 

“So, she’s not a one trick pony?” Yao asked. 

“Like Mirage? Absolutely not. She’s incredibly talented. Is that what--you know what, why am I even surprised? Mirage’s always been the jealous, needy type,” He passed his phone over to Yao and turned his attention back to cooking. “On a slightly different note, if you’re considering going back to doing drag, _please_ do it for yourself. Not because Mirage wants you to get rid of competition for her. Because you _know_ what will happen.” 

Yao nodded as he watched the video of Roksana performing, and was intrigued. The first clip was of the style Francis claimed that Roksana consistently favored; high kicks, splits, death drops and very animated. But as Yao swiped left, there was another clip on the same post at a different location. The song was slower and Roksana was taking time to feel every emotion in the lip sync. The performance was heartfelt and Yao could feel it through the screen. 

_A versatile queen. No wonder Mirage feels threatened._

Her makeup was still a mess though.

“Mirage told me that she has a performance this weekend. Is that true?” he asked. 

Kiku nodded. “Yep, another standard performance at **_Atomica_ ** I believe. She’s told me that the audience there loves wild performances, so she’s most likely going to be flying all over the place,” He paused. “Wanna see her performance together?” 

Yao gave him a glare. “I haven’t said--” 

“It might be good practice since you’ve been out for so long. I’ll be happy to even make you a new outfit and everything when you’re ready to do your first performance,” Kiku continued. 

“You and your assumptions,” Yao said, smirking. “Alright, you win. Let’s go this Saturday,” 

“Great,” Kiku hit the bell again, indicating that another order was ready. Xiao-Mei soon came over to pick up the order. “After closing, we’ll go over.” 

“Sounds like a good plan,” Yao stated, taking out his phone again to message Francis. 

**_misshuali:_ ** _fine. i’ll come over Saturday. what time do the performances start??_

 ** _themiragevoila:_** 😈 _you’re actually coming?!!!!???? omg exciting!!_

 **_misshuali:_ ** _what time do the performances start??_

 **_themiragevoila:_ ** _we should get dinner beforehand or something! or maybe you can come over to my apartment sometime this week! i’d love for you to meet Arthur!!_

 **_misshuali:_ ** _what. time. do. the. performances. start??_

 **_themiragevoila:_ ** _so impatient!!!_ 😔 _i will be performing first, then it’s roksana. performances typically start around 9:30 fridays and saturdays. there? happy?_

 **_misshuali:_ ** _yes. thank you._

 ** _themiragevoila:_** 😊 _can’t wait to show you around! atomica is a great place! ludwig and feli will be happy to meet you too! perhaps we could discuss performance opportunities; it pays well!_

Choosing to ignore Francis’ last message, Yao put his phone back into his pocket and took a deep breath. _Why do I feel like I’m getting myself into a mess?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you really want to get involved Yao? Wouldn't you rather just...I dunno, let Mirage and Roksana deal with it themselves?? 
> 
> Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I'm surviving and trying not to lose my mind when it comes to the state of politics these days. Anyway, that's not important right now. Writing is a distraction from all of that! I'm getting ready for the fall mindset; I keep lighting candles around my house and craving hot apple cider. I'm just ready!!!! 
> 
> So, we're getting closer and closer to getting Yao to return to drag. That's exciting because I'm sure by now you guys are quite tired of Francis and Feliks hog all of the show. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any critiques, feel free to leave them in the comments! If I have any typos or errors, please let me know as well! I do read all of the comments and do my best to reply to all of them. 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinlia)


	6. Night Out

“Yao is acting funny today,” Xiao-Mei said. She set an empty tray to the side and leaned against the bar. “He seems...happier than usual.” 

“I know, it’s scaring me,” Yong-Soo said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like, nonstop like this.” 

Leon stood next to his friends, watching as his older brother seemed to be in the best attitude since, well, forever. He was pleased to see that his brother was in good spirits, but it did seem to be a little out of character for Yao. Something was definitely up. 

“Maybe he’s got a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Do we know what he prefers?” Yong-Soo said. 

“Maybe he’s seeing  _ someone _ is how we should phrase that sentence,” Xiao-Mei corrected. “I mean, it’s possible. But have we  _ ever _ seen Yao interested in dating? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him download apps or anything.” 

Leon shook his head. “Definitely not. He’s definitely the type of person who wants to focus on themselves and their career before possibly dating.” he said. He didn’t think Yao would ever date anyone; it just wasn’t his style. 

“Well, what else would have him in such a good mood? If not a date, maybe a hookup?” Yong-Soo rambled. 

Both Leon and Xiao-Mei grimaced at the thought of it. “Ew,” they said. They couldn’t even possibly  _ think _ of their brother even  _ considering _ such actions. 

“Hey, people have needs! I can’t think of anything else!” 

“Let’s just let him have his moment, shall we?” Leon mentioned. “As strange as it is, it’s nice to see him in a good mood.” 

Just as Leon finished his sentence, Yao stopped in front of them as he was making his way to the kitchen. “What are you doing just standing there?!”

“We’re just taking a break; chill out,” Leon replied. “There’s like, two people in here.” 

“It’s the weekend! You guys should be out and about, hanging out with friends!” Yao continued. “You guys can be done for the night. Kiku and I will handle closing up.” 

The three friends froze in shock. “B-but--” Xiao-Mei began. 

Yao shrugged, his smile bright. “I’m in a good mood tonight. You guys go and have some fun, okay?” 

“Good...mood?” Leon repeated. “Go have fun? Who are you and what did you do with my brother?” 

“Hey, I’m not always a stickler. There are two customers here who are ready to pay for their meal. I can handle that. Once they’re done, I’m closing up early.” 

Xiao-Mei, Yong-Soo and Leon exchanged glances with each other. They could not believe their ears. “Seriously, what have you done with my brother?” Leon asked again. 

“Look, I’m not always this nice. I suggest you guys leave and take advantage of the short work day before I change my mind,” Yao said sternly. He crossed his arms against his chest and waited for all of them to leave. 

Quickly, Leon tore off his apron and tossed it over the bar counter. “I’m gonna see if Emil is free. Maybe we could all hang out at his house.” 

Yong-Soo took off his apron as well and started making his way to the door. “Ooh, I hear there’s a new horror film. We should go see it!” 

Glancing at her older brother, Xiao-Mei gently took off her apron and folded it before setting it on the counter. “Wait for me!” she called after them. She stopped at the front door and looked over her shoulder at her older brother. It was so strange for him to be in such a good mood, so strange that she had to double check to make sure that he was seriously letting them off work early. Yao nodded with a smile before turning away to step into the kitchen. Grinning, Xiao-Mei stepped out of the restaurant and joined her friends.

“Emil says he’s down to hang out,” Leon mentioned, typing vigorously on his phone. “What should we--” 

“Let’s hit up the cluuuubs!” Yong-Soo hollered. “Doesn’t Emil’s brother have a club? We should totally check it out.” 

“Emil’s  _ not _ going to go for it,” Leon replied. “Take it from me, he’s not a fan that his brother owns a nightclub.” 

“But I wanna check it out!” Yong-Soo continued. “It’s always fun to go somewhere new. I hear it’s different.” 

“Why don’t we just see a film? Or just go to Emil’s house. If his brother is working, he has that house all to himself. We could go and play games!” Xiao-Mei suggested, cheerfully. 

Yong-Soo leaned his head back and groaned dramatically. “Ugh,  _ boring _ .” 

“How do you know? Board games can be loads of fun.” Xiao-Mei began. 

“What year is it? 1980?” Yong-Soo teased. 

“Emil’s down,” Leon interrupted. “I told him we’ll be there in ten minutes.” 

“Seriously?  _ Board games _ ?” 

“He’s got a Switch too. Calm down,” Leon mumbled, taking the lead by crossing the street. “Come on, let’s go.” 

Groaning dramatically, but following his friends, Yong-Soo sighed. “What a boring way to spend a Saturday night…” 

With his younger siblings gone and the restaurant closed, Yao could easily get ready for a night out. After a quick shower, he searched through his closet for an old, feminine outfit he would wear on nights he wasn’t performing and could just lay low. 

Thankfully, it was still a perfect fit. 

Not wanting to be immediately recognized by anyone, he applied minimal amounts of makeup and let his hair fall down over his shoulders. With one last glance in the mirror, Yao nodded with approval of his outfit and made his way to leave the apartment. Once he stepped out of the apartment and walked down the stairs, Kiku was already there waiting for him, wearing a regular outfit accompanied by a bright pink wig. It was typical Kiku; act so serious but then add something to get people to laugh a little. 

Yao sighed as he walked past his friend as if he didn’t know him, heels clicking on the pavement. “I thought we agreed on something subtle,” he stated, looking over his shoulder. 

“This is subtle,” Kiku replied, walking alongside Yao. “I could have worn the whole cosplay outfit.” 

Yao scoffed. “You seriously call a neon pink wig subtle???” He stopped and gestured to his own outfit. “ _ This _ is subtle, Kiku. And I thought you said you were trying to save money by not going to conventions anymore? Why are you still buying bright colored wigs for cosplay?” 

“I’m not,” Kiku said. “This wig is from two years ago. I haven’t been to a convention since.” 

Yao shook his head, but smiled. “Ridiculous,” 

“You know, I think you’d make a great--”

“I’m not going to one of those conventions. Too smelly. It’s bad enough we’re going to a club,” 

Kiku shrugged. “ **_Atomica_ ** ’s not one of the bad ones. Actually, the only thing you’ve gotta worry about the people wearing too much cologne.” 

“Figures,” Yao mumbled. “The one place Francis frequents is going to be the one that reeks of cologne to high heavens.” 

“Well, we’re going to see a great show, that’s what matters most,” Kiku concluded. “We’ll be entertained, at least.”

It was a relatively cool night, making the walk to  **_Atomica_ ** quit relaxing. The two of them reminisced about the years they were younger, partying all night while in college and how  _ awful _ Yao looked the first time he put on drag (“I’ll never forget when you did a cartwheel and your eyelashes became your mustache!” “Ugh, I know. It happened all the time, didn’t it? Stupid cheap lash glue from Poundland…”). When they arrived at Atomica, there, fortunately, wasn’t much of a line. Once inside, sure enough, Yao was hit with the strong scent of cologne and was tempted to cover his nose. 

“It fades after a while,” Kiku mentioned as they made their way to the bar. 

“I sure hope so,” Yao replied. He was being reminded of one of the many things he did  _ not _ miss about performing at clubs. The mixture of colognes burned his nose, making Yao wonder why people insisted on practically bathing in it before going out. 

Weaving through the crowd, the two of them made it to the bar, hoping to get a drink or two. Kiku and Yao kept to themselves as they waited for the bartender to come over and wait on them. People would occasionally bump into them, spilling some of their drinks, laughing and shouting over the music. Yao couldn’t help but roll his eyes.  _ Why am I here? _ He asked himself.  _ This place reeks of 20 year olds who haven’t figured themselves out yet. I shouldn’t be-- _

“Hi!!!” the bartender greeted. “Welcome to  **_Atomica_ ** ! I’m Antonio, and if you ever need anything, just holler! That’s how things work around here!”

“Clearly,” Yao mumbled, referring to all of the people who were shouting and cheering around them. 

“Can I get you guys anything?” 

Kiku hesitated. “I dunno…”

“You guys like mojitos? Or martinis? Margaritas? Those are my specialties, but can make anything you like!” Antonio added. 

“I’ll just have water,” Yao said. 

“Don’t be boring,” Kiku said, jokingly. He looked back to Antonio. “Why don’t you surprise us?” 

Antonio knocked on the counter two times before walking away and grinned. “Two mojitos coming up!” 

“Kiku, I don’t want a mojito,” Yao stated. 

“We’re here to have a good time, right? To let loose?” 

“I’m here to see a show and then go home,” 

Kiku sighed. “So stingy. Fine, Two mojitos for me.” 

“No, I’ll  _ drink _ it. I’m not gonna be rude.” 

“Here you go!” Antonio cheered, sliding the two drinks on the counter. “Enjoy!” 

Yao picked up the chilled glass and cautiously took a sip. It had a weird taste, so he took another sip. And another. And another. 

“You hate it, don’t you?” Kiku asked. 

“I can’t decide,” Yao answered, turning around to spectate the dancefloor. He leaned against the counter, setting the drink aside. “How do you keep up with this scene?” 

“It’s not like I go out every night,” Kiku answered. “I typically go out when someone is performing with an outfit I made for them. It’s nice to see how it performs. Then I go home.” 

“Then why were you just giving me a hard time a minute ago about wanting to go home?” 

“Because you make it too easy,” Kiku replied, gently elbowing Yao’s arm. 

The two of them hung out at the bar for a little bit, chatting and watching as people seemed to cluster close together on the dancefloor. The smell of cologne began to mix with sweat, making Yao’s nose burn. He was already looking forward to returning home so he could relax and be away from this mess. 

“Excuse me!!” 

Suddenly, Yao was gently pushed aside, bumping into Kiku as someone came up to the bar. “Antonio! Do you have any extra bottles of water?! Mirage and I need some--” 

Yao glanced at Kiku. “Is this?” 

Kiku nodded and looked around Yao. “Hey, Feliks?” 

Turning around, the person who had pushed Yao out of the way smiled. “Kiku?” he said, looking around Yao. “Kiku!! I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight!” Feliks walked around Yao with open arms as he approached Kiku. 

Tensing up a bit, Kiku took a small step back. “It’s good to see you, Feliks,” he said. 

Feliks froze, letting his arms fall to his side. “Oh right, the hugging thing,” he mentioned, backing away. “I’m sorry, I forgot.” 

“No, no it’s fine,” Kiku reassured. He glanced at Yao and smiled. “Remember my friend I told you about?” 

“The one who used to do drag?” Feliks replied. He looked at Yao and gasped excitedly. “Wait! Are you Hua Li?” 

Yao smiled, slightly surprised that Feliks had gotten the pronunciation of his drag name correct without second thought. 

“Kiku told me about you!!” Feliks paused and gasped again. “Oh wait! I’m sorry I pushed you! I didn’t know who you were!” 

“You told him about me?!” Yao asked Kiku, crossing his arms against his chest, pretending to be slightly perturbed. 

“I briefly mentioned it a while back,” Kiku clarified. “It was the first time Feliks commissioned me. He happened to have stumbled upon your inactive Instagram account and I may have mentioned that it was a shame that you quit.” 

Taking a deep breath, Yao nodded and looked to Feliks. “So, you must be Roksana Pierogi, then.” 

Feliks grinned. “You know my name?!?!” he asked, excitedly. 

“Yes,” Yao tried not to laugh;  _ this _ was the little queen Francis was intimidated by? It couldn’t be. “I’ve heard about you. Though I must say, I’m a little confused as to why you’re freaking out as if you met a celeb--”

“Kiku showed me your old videos and Instagram posts and all the stuff you can do!!!” Feliks said, rather loudly. “Not only were you an incredible artist with your makeup, you created such wonderful performing art!! Plus!! I saw some of your dancing too! It was amazing!” 

Yao laughed and decided to go along with it. “Well, I only pulled all the stops when rent was due. It wasn’t  _ really  _ my favorite thing to do.” It was partially true; it was towards the end of his drag career where Yao really began adding the flips and the splits and everything else in his performance. It was what the audience preferred at the time, as Yao sensed a shift in people’s tastes and desires in a drag show. At first he hated it, but he grew to love it as seeing the audience’s reactions was satisfying. 

“Oh, no need to be humble!” Feliks said, laughing. “I really admire your work. And take it from someone who quit and then returned: nothing will make you as happy as the first day you step back on that stage.” 

“You...quit?” Yao asked, confused. “You seem a little young to have--”

“Yeah, it’s a long story but also it’s not?” Feliks replied. “I ran out of money, quit for a bit, then I had to try to save this dying bar so I started drag again, met a guy and fell in love, his ex tried to kill me--”

“What?!” 

“--you know, the usual! But drag makes me happy, and I’m sure returning would make you happy too!” Feliks paused. “Well, only if you want to return, that is. I can’t make you.” 

“It’s been on my mind for some time,” Yao said, looking away. “You’re probably the third person who’s encouraged me to do so…”

“Then it’s a sign!” Feliks cheered, waving his hands in the air. “I’d love to see you perform live instead of rewatching an old performance on your Instagram!” 

Smirking, Yao shook his head. “Well, I’ll think it over some more. My regular job and my family are what’s most important--”

“Doing what you love is important too!” Feliks added. Antonio slid a few bottles of water on the counter and Feliks quickly grabbed them, sticking a few under his arm so he could carry more. “Sorry I have to go, I gotta finish getting ready! But maybe we could chat after the show! It was great meeting you!” 

“You too,” Yao said as Feliks pushed his way back stage to get ready for the show. Pulling out his phone to check the time, Yao noticed that there were a few messages from Francis. He rolled his eyes and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. 

“You never messaged Mirage, did you?” Kiku asked, standing a bit closer now that Feliks was gone. 

“Nope,” Yao answered, sighing. “Don’t plan to. I came here to enjoy myself, not deal with her drama.” 

Kiku chuckled and finished the tiny bit of his drink before setting it aside. “Good,” he said. 

Yao leaned over the counter and waved to catch Antonio’s attention. In a rush, Antonio stepped over towards him and grinned. “Another mojito?” Antonio asked. 

“I think I’d like to switch to something else. What else do you have?” Yao asked. 

“I apologize in advance,” Kiku said. “He’s going to be picky.” 

“No I’m not!” 

“No worries. Perhaps you can tell me your tastes, and I’ll find the perfect drink for you?” Antonio suggested. He gave a grin, and Yao had a fleeting thought of how nice looking the bartender was. “People say that I’m an outstanding bartender for not only making great drinks, but --”

“Just surprise me again,” Yao sighed, turning around. “I’m not really sure what I want.” 

Antonio hesitated before knocking on the counter and stepping away. “Alrighty, I’ll think of something! Sit tight!” 

Just as Antonio wandered away to create another cocktail for Yao, the lights in the club went dark, leaving one single spotlight on stage.  _ I would have preferred a little bit of warning first _ . Yao thought to himself. 

“Good evening  **_Atomica_ ** lovers,” An obnoxious voice announced over the speakers. Yao winced at the sudden booming voice.  _ Too loud _ . He thought. “I think we all know why you’re here. To watch your favorite queens perform, of course! Are you ready?”

As the crowd cheered loudly, Yao decided to sit down on the barstool behind him, crossing his legs as he waited patiently for the show to begin. Kiku sat on the stool next to him, sipping on the melted ice remnants of his mojito. 

“We’ve got a classic show for tonight that we think you all will enjoy! Please welcome to the stage, our in-house performer, Mirage Voilà!!” 

The crowd cheered once again, and Yao sighed as he crossed his legs. The entire club went dark as the music began. The beat was catchy and pulsed through the entire club as Mirage stepped out onto the stage, wearing a skin tight dress that left little to the imagination. She moved her hips in circles as she turned her back to the audience and as she turned back around, she made sure that part of her hair covered her face. She was smirking and looking around, flirting with anyone who would look her way (which was everyone). 

Yao couldn’t help but roll his eyes. 

Sure, the songs were probably different and up to date, but Mirage was still the same Mirage.  _ Would it kill her to experiment outside of her comfort zone _ ? Yao thought to himself, watching as Mirage slid into a split. Comfort zones were always a debate between Yao and Francis. Yao always encouraged that Francis perform songs of different genres. 

“Being a drag queen isn’t always about being sexy,” Yao would say. “It’s about the show. It’s about evoking emotion. It’s about making a connection with your audience. Stick with one gimmick, and you’ll quickly lose your following.” 

“But sexy is what I do best! Who wouldn’t want to f--”

“What did I  _ just _ say, Mirage?!” 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yao forced himself to watch the show. As Mirage continued to flirt with the audience, he looked over his shoulder to see a bright pink, frozen cocktail beside him. 

“This drink was a mistake creation,” Antonio mentioned to him. “A good one, because everyone loves this drink! I call it the ‘Pink Slip’.” 

Yao stared at him, unamused. “Really?” 

“Really! Let me know how you like--”

Holding up one finger, Yao grabbed the drink and took a sip. He gently set the drink back down and shook his head, turning his attention back to the show. “Too sweet,” he then stated. 

“Ah,” Antonio sighed, disappointed as he walked away with the drink. “Never have I ever had a customer so hard to figure out.” 

Looking back at the show, Yao realized that the previous song had been mixed to transition into another song and Mirage had changed outfits.  _ So cliche _ . Yao thought to himself. Knowing how the rest of the show was going to be, despite not even seeing Mirage Voilà perform in years, Yao pulled out his phone as a distraction.  _ It’s no wonder she’s losing followers’ interest; she hasn’t changed her style in 6 years. She’s lucky she’s kept them this long.  _

A few more songs played and the crowd gave encouraging cheers to Mirage, but it was relatively clear to Yao that the audience was eager to see Roksana. The crowd cheered as Mirage bowed and blew kisses their way, Yao put his phone away and waited for the stage change. 

“Alright everyone, you love her most! Here she is! Roksana Pierogi!!!” The DJ announced. 

The cheers from the audience were quite deafening. So deafening that Yao couldn’t even hear the first note of the song that began. Pushing aside the stage curtains, Roksana stepped out with a confident smirk, randomly pointing to someone out in the audience. Her energy was already vibrant and lively (though it always helped to have an energetic audience), it was contagious. Yao soon found himself, along with the audience, swaying along to the beat. Roksana’s outfit was covered in sparkling fringe; it was hard to take your eyes off of her. 

_ This is a performer who knows what they’re doing _ . Yao thought to himself, smiling.  _ No wonder Mirage hates her _ . 

The chorus had flown by, and by the second verse, two backup dancers had stepped onto the stage when the backup vocals chimed in, snapping their fingers to the beat as they mouthed along with the words. In perfect synchronization, the two dancers and Roksana danced around on the stage. Yao was impressed with the coordination, as he remembered back in his hayday, he could never seem to get his dancers coordinated. 

Towards the end of the song was when Roksana started to become wilder and wilder in her dancing, losing some of the meticulous control she had in the beginning. She did a slow split, running her hands through her hair as she winked at someone random. The song ended and as the crowd cheered, there was a loud air horn sound which marked the beginning of the next song. 

The song was in a language Yao didn’t recognize, but that didn’t affect the experience of the show. In fact, it made it much more intriguing for him to watch. By the end of the first chorus, Roksana twirled and ripped off her fringe outfit, revealing a skimpy leotard that accentuated her plump behind. 

_ Ah, _ Yao thought.  _ There’s Mirage’s influence. She was always encouraging those with cute butts to show them off _ . 

As the song's energy began to build and build, Roksana finally unleashed her dancing abilities. Flips, splits, jump splits, it was all up for grabs. Yao was even impressed that she ran up to one of the dancers who pushed her up into the air before she fell back down into a split. So much was going on that Yao couldn’t keep track of how many songs Roksana was performing to. 

The show was truly thrilling. 

Roksana’s performance was over before Yao could have predicted. He found himself clapping and exclaiming an occasional cheer with the rest of the crowd. Roksana bowed and waved to the audience as she backed her way to the stage curtain. Money seemed to rain down onto the stage as the audience showed their gratitude for a fantastic and entertaining show. 

“That was actually tame for Roksana,” Kiku mentioned. 

Yao quickly turned and looked at him in confusion. “ _ Tame _ ? That was  _ tame _ ?!” 

Kiku nodded. “Very tame. Well, for these songs anyway. But I think it shows that she's not desperate for the audience’s approval. She knows what she’s doing.” 

“That she does,” Yao chuckled. “Now I understand why Mirage is panicking. Roksana swept the floor after her mediocre performance.” 

Kiku laughed. “Yes, I agree,” He paused. “It’s not that Mirage is  _ bad _ ,”

“She’s stale,” Yao spun around in his seat to lean his elbows against the counter. “Sure, it’s new songs and new outfits and improved makeup skills, but it’s still the same performance over and over. Strictly sex appeal. That’s great for a while, but once you lose that horny high, it’s no longer interesting.” 

“You’ve told her that for some time, didn’t you? She never listened.” Kiku asked.

“Of course, because Mirage knows best,” Yao said, rolling his eyes. He pulled out his phone again and saw more notifications from Instagram. Opening the app, he found a few messages from Francis: 

**_themiragevoila_ ** _ : where are you? i couldn’t see you while on stage. let me know so i can find you! _

**_themiragevoila_ ** _ : please tell me you’re here  _ 🥺 

**_themiragevoila_ ** _ : you’re hiding from me, aren’t you?  _ 🥺 

Sighing, Yao glanced up at the counter to see that another alcoholic drink had been placed in front of him. “Here, try this,” Antonio offered. “It’s a classic margarita. Another popular drink here.” 

“Be careful, those are really strong,” Kiku warned. “I have no idea how much alcohol Antonio puts in these things.” 

Antonio shrugged as he walked away before Yao had a chance to express any disappointment. “It’s mostly just tequila,” 

Taking a sip, Yao forced a smile and nodded. “It’ll do for now,” he mumbled. 

“So, what’s the plan now? Go home?” Kiku asked. 

Yao shook his head. “No,” he said. “I think I wanna talk with Miss Roksana more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. Things just keep getting more intense as we go along, huh? Crazy. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter update! I apologize that the chapter is on the longer side, but it's been a while since we've seen both Mirage and Roksana perform! So of course, we had to see that from Yao's perspective. :) What do you guys think? Feel free to leave critiques or let me know if I have any errors in the comments! I read all of them and do my best to reply! 
> 
> See you soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Edit 4 Oct 2020: Hi again! I completely forgot to mention the main vibe I was thinking of for both Mirage's and Roksana's performances. I only have one song for each, but both songs give the overall vibe of the performances. 
> 
> Mirage's Performance: Bikini Porn - Tove Lo   
> Roksana's Performance: It's All About You - Juliana Pasha


	7. A Hangover and a Dinner

It was 09:45. Typically, Yao was awake and making breakfast for his siblings by 06:50, no matter the day. But today, Leon and his sister actually woke up before their older brother. An occurrence that hadn’t happened since the first morning Yao had moved back into their small apartment. 

“Is he...is he sick?” Leon asked in a low voice. He and Xiao-Mei were standing in the doorway to Yao’s room, watching him sleep. Their brother wasn’t much of a snorer, but there was a puddle of drool getting bigger by the second on his pillow. 

“He can’t be. Yao  _ never _ gets sick. Except that one time we ordered takeout elsewhere and he  _ claimed _ he got food poisoning from it,” Xiao-Mei replied, sighing. She shook her head. “He’s so picky. It was really good fried chicken too.” 

“It was. Well, if he’s not sick, what else could be making him sleep in so late?” Leon continued. “It’s not like him at all.” 

Xiao-Mei hesitated. “Maybe Yong-Soo was right? Maybe he did have…”

“Ew,” Leon gagged. “If he did, I’d think we would have seen someone leaving the apartment or there’d be evidence of that.” 

“Well, I don’t know. All I know is, is that I’m getting hungry. Should we wake him?” 

“I mean,” Leon leaned against the door frame. “We could just make breakfast ourselves? Or pick something up?” 

“The second we touch the stove, Yao’s gonna wake up. He’s got a sixth sense for that thing. It’s weird.” Xiao-Mei sighed. “Let’s just wake him up.” 

“Sure. You got a stick?” Leon asked. 

“What?!” 

“I don’t want to get punched or anything, so if you have something I can poke his face with while keeping a distance…” Leon clarified. 

“I got you,” Xiao-Mei said, grinning. She quickly ran to her room and soon came back with a plastic hanger. “This is the best I can do.”

Gently taking the hanger, Leon smirked as he slowly stepped closer to the bed. “Be careful,” Xiao-Mei whispered. “He’ll kill you if you actually wake him up.” 

“Shh,” Leon hushed. “I have to concentrate.” Inching the hanger closer and closer to Yao’s cheek, Leon bit down on his tongue, trying to concentrate. Just as the hanger was about to touch his skin, Yao quickly sntached the hanger and opened his eyes. Slightly spooked, Leon yelped out of fear and quickly ran out of the room. Yao groaned, threw the hanger on the floor and turned to lay on his other side, facing away from the door. 

“Good morning, Yao,” Xiao-Mei greeted. She didn’t seem to be affected by her brother’s impressive reflexes. 

“ _ What _ ?” Yao asked. “What do you want?” 

“You could at least say good morning,” Xiao-Mei sighed. “We were worried about you. You’ve been acting funny for the past 24-hours.” 

“I’m sleeping,” Yao muttered, not wanting to be bothered. 

“Still,” Xiao-Mei stepped into the room to sit down on the side of the bed. “Maybe we could help with breakfast? We can make some for you if you’re under the weather.” 

It took a moment before Yao turned over to face his younger sister, his under eyes puffy from lack of sleep. “Go get my wallet and you can buy something.” 

“No,” Xiao-Mei rolled her eyes and scooted closer to him. “Let us cook you something. You’re obviously not feeling well--”

“I feel fine,” Yao interrupted. 

“--why not let us help you, just like all the times you’ve helped us? Let us cook for you, Yao. Just once. We can do it” 

Yao laid still as he thought about it, soon rolling over onto his back and groaning. He ran his hands over his face, before pointing to the door. “Go get my wallet and you can buy something,” 

“Yao!!” Xiao-Mei said, raising her voice. “Stop being stubborn!” 

Yao pulled the blankets over his head and groaned. “Don’t yell,” he said, his voice muffled by the blankets. 

Xiao-Mei froze. “Wait...are you hung over?!” 

“No!” 

She held back a laugh. “Oh my God, where were you last night?” 

“It’s none of your business, Xiao-Mei!” Yao hissed. 

“You  _ totally _ have a hangover! Were you at a party? Or, wait, were you with someone last night?!” 

Throwing the blankets and sheets off of him, Yao quickly got out of bed and threw on a robe. If his sister wasn’t going to listen to him, then he would just have to pretend that he was feeling well, as usual, and cook breakfast. Without saying another word, he walked out of his bedroom and made his way to the kitchen. Xiao-Mei followed after him and watched as her brother turned on the kitchen light, he flinched and groaned, putting his fingers on both sides of his temples. 

“You  _ are _ hungover!!” she repeated. 

“Okay,  _ yes _ , I have a hangover. Do we need to mention it multiple times?” Yao asked. 

“Let me help you make breakfast!” Xiao-Mei offered. “I’ve watched you make  _ húntún _ for years; I think I can easily make them!” 

“ _ No _ , I’m going to make them. Because you’re being stubborn and--”

“ _ I’m _ stubborn?!” 

“ _ Yes _ ,” Yao leaned down to a lower cabinet to grab a mixing bowl and as he quickly stood up, he was filled with instant regret. His head began to pound and a wave of nausea hit him like a tidal wave. Quickly setting the mixing bowl on the counter, Yao stood still for a moment, trying to prevent himself from getting sick. 

“Y-you alright?” Xiao-Mei asked. Leon finally reappeared from his room and stood beside his sister. “Please don’t throw up; I  _ really  _ don’t want to clean it up.” 

“Give me a moment…” Yao said, his voice trailing off.  _ What the hell were in those drinks I had??? _ He thought to himself.  _ Am I that old that I can’t hold liquor anymore? _ Slowly, he pulled himself along the counter, his brother and sister quickly moving out of the kitchen doorway in fear of being vomited on by chance. “I’m just gonna lie down for a few more minutes. Don’t touch anything,” Yao added, making his way back to his room. Climbing back into bed, his head finally stopped spinning, the throbbing headache lessened and the nausea disappeared. “ _ Tā mā de _ ,” he swore under his breath. 

“Just tell us what to make and we’ll make it,” Yao heard Leon say from the doorway. Yao didn’t reply and only pulled the sheets over his head, indicating he didn’t want to be bothered. 

“Damn, this is the worst I’ve ever seen him,” Leon said. 

“Yeah,” Xiao-Mei agreed. “Come on; let’s get breakfast ready. And maybe Google some hangover cures; I worry that he’s gonna throw up all over the place.” 

“I can hear you!” Yao said. As he listened to the clanging and banging around in the kitchen as his siblings looked to find what they needed to cook, he reached out from under the blankets to grab his phone off of his night stand. There was an email notification that popped up, and he opened it immediately. 

_ Dear Hua Li, _

_ We are delighted to have you performing at  _ **_Atomica_ ** _ soon. Unfortunately, after our discussion, it was realized that all of our upcoming weekends are booked, meaning that the date previously discussed is unavailable. We do, however, have an opening next mid-month, if that still works for your schedule. Please let us know as soon as possible what works for you next month either via email or phone call. It was a pleasure meeting you last night. We look forward to working with you in the near future.  _

_ Thank you, _

_ Ludwig Beilschmidt _

Yao read the message several times before sitting up in his bed. “Who the fuck is Ludwig?” he asked aloud. Rereading the message, the words started to sink in and the memories of the night came rushing back. Suddenly, he recalled a relatively long conversation with Roksana Pierogi after her show. The two connected, laughed, and Roksana took Yao backstage to the office to speak with the owners of the club. Roksana had left to go dance, but Yao carried on a semi-drunk conversation about wanting to perform in drag again. 

“Ah shit,” he groaned.

Suddenly, there was a ding from the phone, indicating another notification was coming through. Tapping the notification, Instagram popped up and it was, funnily enough, a message from Roksana herself. 

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : hey, hey! last night was super fun! such an honor to meet you! i heard the news and can’t wait to see you perform soon!  _

Yao groaned, resting his elbow on his knee. “What the hell…” he grumbled as he typed a message back. “What the hell am I doing?” 

**_misshuali_ ** _ : i actually just got an email saying the date initially discussed is unavailable.  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : what?????!!!??? noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wait was it pushed back then?  _

**_misshuali_ ** _ : looks like it. i have not confirmed in yet though  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : oh okay! you’ll confirm soon, right? _

**_misshuali_ ** _ : i think so.  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : having second thoughts? that’s understandable. it’s scary coming back, not gonna lie. but you can do it!!!!!!!!  _ 😊😊😊😊 

Smiling, Yao nodded and reluctantly agreed. Roksana was definitely charismatic, and could charm anyone to do whatever she wanted easily. “Alright, alright…” 

**_misshuali_ ** _ : okay, i will confirm.  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : afkdekjkitjsg really??? yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!  _ 😊  _ oh, by the way, are we still okay to meet tomorrow?  _

**_misshuali_ ** _ : ???  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : you were gonna come over to teach me better makeup skills????  _

**_misshuali_ ** _ : right...what time again?  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : tomorrow morning, right? before your restaurant opens, you said? 10? ish?  _

**_misshuali_ ** _ : sounds about right. i guess send me your address and i’ll be there  _

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _ : okeeee!!!  _

Laying back down, Yao let his phone slide out of his hand as he closed his eyes briefly. “I guess I’m really doing this,” he said to himself. There was a knock on his door as Xiao-Mei stepped in and placed a cup of green tea and a plate of food on the nightstand. 

“Thank you,” Yao said as his sister was stepping back out of the room. 

Xiao-Mei paused and looked over her shoulder, smiling. “Feel better. It’s weird when you don’t feel well,” she said gently before closing the door behind her. 

Reaching for the cup and quickly taking a sip, Yao sighed in relief as the tea seemed to help sway the headache away. Slowly, he ate his breakfast and enjoyed his cup of tea, planning what kind of performances he would need to put on. He was jumping back in when the drag scene was most likely more competitive than ever, and he’d have to fight with a huge swing. Soon, he laughed at himself, realizing what was to come. 

“Mirage is going to be so mad…” 

“Can’t we reschedule,  _ mon chou _ ?” Francis asked. He was standing in front of a mirror, buttoning his shirt. He was relatively tired from the night before; performing in drag always wore him out. Sundays were typically a day of rest for him, but Arthur insisted that he and Francis uphold their commitment to having dinner with Tiino and Berwald. Francis wasn’t really in the mood to be social, surprisingly enough. Especially after a supposed  _ friend _ managed to avoid him the whole night. 

“It’ll be a nice change of pace,” Arthur replied, struggling to tie his bow tie correctly. “As much as I love going to Ludwig’s and Feli’s for the usual  **_Atomica_ ** crew get together, it will be nice to chat with others.” 

Francis turned away from the mirror and moved to stand beside Arthur. He gently pushed Arthur’s hands away and slowly untied the bow tie before throwing it onto the bed. “Tiino and Berwald seem nice, but quite honestly, they seem a bit dull.” he said. 

“We hardly know them, love,” Arthur said, defensively. “Besides, you’ve  _ hardly  _ interacted with them. I don’t think you should be making comments like that, love.” 

“Very true,” Francis said, nodding in agreement. “Well, if tonight is dull, I guess I won’t tell you I told you so.” 

Arthur rolled his eyes. “You’re just bitter and annoyed that your friend didn’t show up last night,” 

“ _ No _ , I’m bitter and annoyed that he most likely was there, but managed to be elusive. I should have known better,” Francis corrected. “I thought enough time passed by that we’d be able to move past the past. But I was wrong, apparently.” 

“What happened, exactly?” Arthur asked. He went to reach for the bow tie Francis threw on the bed, but Francis stopped him. 

“No idea, honestly,” Francis answered. “We just got in a big argument. I showed up to the club we performed most of the time, he began yelling at me how I’m an awful, ungrateful drag daughter for not being there for him when he needed me most and then threw me out. He told me he never wanted to see my face again.” 

“Huh,” Arthur turned to make his way out of the bedroom. He slipped his feet into his shoes and grabbed a jacket. “Was there a misunderstanding between the two of you?” 

Francis shrugged. “There must have been, but he never told me what it was about,” he said, grabbing a coat. “I apologized for whatever it was I did that upset him, and he never ever replied. The day we ordered food from his restaurant was the first time I spoke to him in  _ years _ .” 

Arthur glanced at him, cautious to say anything else. Francis had never brought up that he had rocky friendships in the past. In fact, most people they were around would refer to Francis as a problem solver. A good friend to talk to when you’re looking for advice. Arthur found it hard to believe that Francis would hurt a friend, purposely or accidentally, so much that they’d never want to see them again. 

Then again, Arthur didn’t know what Francis was like before they met. Not to mention, Francis’ apologies weren’t always the most genuine sounding apologies at times, and could easily make someone more frustrated. 

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t think of it too much,” Arthur finally said. “Maybe your friend just got wrapped up in dancing or drinking or they decided to go home after the show? There’s lots of things that could have happened.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Francis agreed, with a smile. He linked his arm with Arthur’s and took a deep breath. “It’s not a long walk, is it? It’s chilly tonight.” 

“No, their place is a few streets over,” Arthur reassured, opening the door. “Stick close to me and you’ll stay warm.” 

Stepping out of the apartment, the two of them held hands, intertwining their fingers as they walked through the streets. The walk wasn’t long, as Arthur had promised, and soon they were knocking on a newly painted blue door. The door quickly opened and they were greeted by Tiino’s bright and friendly smile. 

“Good evening, you two!” Tiino greeted. He stepped aside. “Come in, come in! You’re just in time! Berwald’s just finished making everything!” 

Taking off their coats as they stepped in, Tiino kindly took their coats and hung them up in another room. The house smelled of a mixture of seasonings and sweet spices. “Please make yourself at home while Berwald and I finish setting the table,” Tiino said, hurrying over to the dining table. 

Francis moved over to sit on the couch, but was startled by a tiny bark from a tiny, fluffy dog. The dog ran in circles around Francis’ ankles, wanting attention. “I didn’t know you guys had a dog,” Francis mentioned. He kept stepping away, but the tiny dog kept pestering him, barking and pawing at Francis’ leg. 

“Oh, yes!” Tiino replied. “It’s actually a funny story. When we moved in, I walked around the back and heard a puppy whining. I went over to the bushes and found little miss Hanatamango!” 

“Hana...tomato?...Hanato what?” Francis asked. 

“Hanatamango! We call her Hana for short. She was so tiny and so thin. The vet wasn’t sure she’d pull through. But she’s got a tough spirit!” Tiino paused for a moment. “Oh no! You’re not allergic, are you?” 

“No, no,” Francis answered, shaking his head. He finally sat down on the couch, watching as the little dog kept barking and jumping about. “I’m just more of a cat person.” 

“We have a very snobbish cat,” Arthur mentioned, sitting next to Francis. He reached down to give Hanatamango the attention she wanted. “Well, Francis has a very snobbish cat. The cat moved in when he did.” 

“Vivienne is  _ not _ snobbish! She’s my sweetie, precious little cutie pie!!” Francis said, defensively. 

“She’s got you wrapped around her little paw,” Arthur said, laughing a bit. Hanatamango jumped onto the couch and settled herself in Arthur’s lap. Scratching behind her ears, Arthur smiled. “Vivienne  _ can _ be sweet, though. When she’s not scratching me or puking on the carpet, that is.” 

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Berwald mumbled. “But dinner is ready whenever we’re ready.” 

Tiino smiled and whistled to catch the dog’s attention as he stepped into the kitchen to put some dog food in a dish. “Hana! Dinner!” The dog immediately jumped out of Arthur’s lap and it was comical to watch as she tried to gain traction to run on the hardwood floor. As Tiino briefly busied himself feeding the dog, Francis and Arthur stood up from the couch and moved to the dining table. Berwald was serving up the plates and placed them one by one by each seat. 

Once dinner was served, they sat in silence for a few moments as they ate the ham Berwald had baked to perfection. It was awkward, at first, as it was clear that Berwald relied on Tiino to strike up conversations. Soon Francis couldn’t take it anymore and broke the ice. 

“How did you two meet?” he asked. 

“Oh! It’s kind of a silly story,” Tiino answered, finally taking a seat at the table. “I used to go to this cafe near the university I was studying at in Stockholm. Berwald worked there and he flirted with me nonstop!” 

Arthur and Francis exchanged glances and looked at Berwald who was busy eating his meal. “...Berwald?” Arthur asked, surprised. “Flirting? With you?” 

Tiino nodded and giggled. “Yes! In his own way. It took me a bit to realize that’s what it was. He’s so shy, you know? But once you get to know him, he’s a chatterbox!” 

“Chatter...box?” Arthur repeated. “Berwald?” 

“People make assumptions about me,” Berwald chimed in a low voice. “But don’t realize that I’m just terrible at socializing.” 

“The cafe wasn’t the only place where we kept bumping into each other,” Tiino continued. He paused to take a sip of water. “We met at different clubs, by accident! Well, the first two times it was by accident. After the second time, I got his number and we would meet up at different clubs night by night.” 

“It almost sounds like you two were destined to be together,” Francis said, reaching for his wine glass. These two were so perfectly sweet together, it was nauseating. “How sweet.” 

“I think everyone is destined to meet the love of their life,” Tiino mentioned. “Sooner or later, we all meet that special someone.” 

Arthur shrugged. “I’m sure many people are skeptical of that. I used to be really skeptic,” 

Francis turned to him and smirked. “You used to be in the closet too,” 

“Yes,” Arthur laughed. “I was. But...thankfully,  _ you _ helped me get out of the closet.” 

“Aww,” Tiino cheered. “See? Everyone has a special someone! Even skeptics!” 

Taking one last sip of his wine before setting it back down, Francis smirked. “Well, it seems like the two of you are happily married and are settled in a wonderful domestic life,” 

Tiino shrugged. “It was a rocky start, with the move and the new business and everything,” he said. “Now I’m curious, how did you and Arthur meet?” 

“At a club,” Francis answered. 

“But I thought you said he wasn’t out yet?” Berwald questioned. 

“I wasn’t,” Arthur replied. “Two years ago, I had been in denial for the longest time, and I was rather sick of loathing myself so...I wanted to test myself. If I could go to a gay nightclub and come home without any thoughts or what have you, I was…normal,” Arthur chuckled at himself. “It makes no sense now that I think of it, but you do strange things when you’re in self denial I suppose.” 

“And you bumped into Francis, I gather?” Tiino asked, leaning forward. He seemed eager to hear the story, as if it was the most exciting story he had ever heard in his life. 

“Yes. See, Francis is…” Arthur paused, glancing at his partner. He never wanted to overstep by telling anyone that Francis was a drag queen, so he always waited for permission. 

“I’m a professor by day, and by night, I’m a drag queen,” Francis chimed in. 

Tiino’s eyes lit up. “Oh!” he exclaimed, sitting up in his seat. “How exciting! So let me guess; Arthur fell in love with Francis while he was on stage?” 

“Tiino also--” Berwald began. 

“Shh, let them tell the story!” 

“Yes, I fell in love with Francis while he was one stage. I thought he was a woman and well, I pursed ‘her’, only to discover that Francis was, well, Francis. We became friends and eventually...fell in love.” 

“Awww,” Tiino leaned against the table on his elbows and pressed his hands on his cheeks, smiling admirably. “How lovely! I’m happy you two met each other and are happy together!” 

Francis chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Yes, I’m happy the two of us met as well,” he said. “I’ve had my fair share of one night stands and loveless relationships in my early twenties. Though it certainly had its tough moments, meeting Arthur was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” 

Arthur gently bumped his elbow with Francis and smiled. “Francis really helped me accept myself, and I’m grateful for how patient he has been through all of that.” 

Sitting back in his seat, Tiino clapped his hands together and cheered. “I’m so happy for you guys!” 

“You perform often, Francis?” Berwald asked. 

“Most weekends, yes. At  **_Atomica_ ** \--” Francis replied. 

“Tiino--”

“Oh, I’d love to see a show of yours one day! Are you performing next weekend?” Tiino blurted before his husband could finish. 

“Don’t you have something next weekend, Tiino?” Berwald mentioned. 

Francis looked at Tiino and tilted his head, intrigued. “Again? I thought you had something this weekend as well?” 

Tiino shifted in his seat and shrugged. “Yeah, it’s just these meetings, you know?” 

“Meetings for what?” 

Tiino hesitated. “Things.” 

Francis leaned forward, smirking.  _ There’s no way. Is he _ ? He thought. “What kind of things?”

“Business things,” Tiino quickly stood up and gathered up the empty plates. “You know, meetings with other coffee roasters for business purposes.” he then added, before stepping away. 

“During the night time?” 

Tiino froze in mid step, glancing over his shoulder. “They’re long meetings,” he then said, looking away. He rinsed off each plate before placing them in the dishwasher. Hanatamango followed and watched him carefully, barking occasionally in excitement. 

“I had no idea that the coffee roasting and tea blending business was a booming market that required many meetings,” Francis added, a bit too sarcastically. He found it a little strange that every time they spoke about weekends, Tiino had  _ something _ coming up.  _ What are you hiding, little Tiino _ ? 

Arthur nudged his arm and sighed. “Stop,” he said. “You’re being nosy again.” 

“I’m not nosy!” Francis said defensively. “It’s just suspicious, is all.” Arthur nudged him again, this time with a little bit more force. “Ow! Hey!” 

“You’re being  _ rude _ ,” Arthur whispered. 

“I’m  _ not _ , I’m just asking questions,” 

“What are you even suspecting Tiino does on the weekends?”

“ _ Well _ , if you let me ask him--”

“So you two have been dating for two years, yeah?” Berwald asked, changing the topic. “How come you haven’t tied the knot yet?” 

Both Arthur and Francis froze, looking at each other. “I suppose that’s a good question,” Francis said. He rested his hand affectionately on Arthur’s knee. “Why aren’t we married,  _ mon chou _ ?” 

Arthur gulped. “We haven’t really discussed it, have we?” 

“Hm,” Francis picked up his wine glass and swirled it around a bit. “I suppose we haven’t. It’s just never come up. Well, do you ever want to get married?” 

“Now?!” 

“No, silly,” Francis chuckled. “Eventually. Like, next year or something.” 

“Oh! Of course!” Arthur said, eagerly. He cleared his throat to calm himself down. “Of course I want to marry you, Francis.” 

“Just so you know, my wedding  _ has  _ to be extravagant.” 

“Whatever you want, love,” Arthur replied, smiling. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Berwald mentioned. Looking away from each other, Francis and Arthur looked to the kitchen where both Tiino and Berwald were standing. An uncut cake sat in front to them, Tinno held four dessert plates while Berwald was holding a cake knife. “You guys like chocolate cake?” 

“Yes,” Arthur and Francis answered simultaneously. 

Turning around, Berwald opened the refrigerator and pulled out another perfectly baked chocolate cake. “Good; I made too much,” he clarified. 

“We hope you have lots of room left for dessert! Berwald’s chocolate cake is to die for!!” Tiino chimed in with the brightest smile. “We should play a game while we enjoy our dessert!” 

Francis sighed heavily in response, sinking in his chair. He didn’t want to play a board game, he didn’t even want to be here anymore. He wanted to go home, grade some tests and go to sleep. Berwald and Tiino were as exciting as paint drying and seemed like their life was oh so perfect. Then again, the two couples really just met and  _ most _ people didn’t put all of their troubles out there upon first meeting. Francis had a feeling Tiino and Berwald were hiding something; he just had to find what it was exactly. Only then, would things get interesting. 

“Let’s see, we have Cards Against Humanity. That’s one of my favorite games, though it’s not for everyone.” Tiino added. 

Francis raised his eyebrows in curiosity.  _ Cards Against Humanity is a  _ great _ game to figure people out _ . Perhaps Tiino, at least, wasn’t that boring after all. “It’s one of my favorites too,” he finally agreed. He looked at Arthur and smiled. “What do you say,  _ mon chou _ ? Should we play numerous rounds?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! 
> 
> I apologize for the long chapter, and it's a lot of domestic stuff. I also apologize that the chapter is going up a little bit later today (I think? I'm actually away on vacation--don't worry! I'm just hibernating in the mountains because I really needed time away from the house that I've been stuck in for...7 months?). I was working and editing a lot on this chapter, and if it feels a little dull, I apologize. I want to make sure I'm taking time establishing characters and their personalities. When I was much, much younger (and uploading fanfiction on DeviantArt and FF.net), I used to be so bad at pacing my stories. Even some of my other stories, as recent as like 2015ish, were horribly paced. They'd often move too fast. Now they probably move too slow and I apologize. 
> 
> Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you have any critiques, feel free to leave them down below. I read all of the comments and try to respond to all of them! 
> 
> If you'd like to help support this story, I would really appreciate it if you donated to my Ko-Fi page: https://ko-fi.com/violinia 
> 
> If you guys want to follow any of my other social media stuff (they're all personal pages), I'll leave them around so you can find them. 
> 
> Thanks again and I'll see you guys soon! I'm off to play some Among Us! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia) 
> 
> Tumblr: bonnefoys  
> Twitter: kviolinia


	8. Lessons

It had been awhile since Yao had taught anyone how to do makeup. The last time he helped someone out was six years ago; a few weeks before everything fell apart and he had to return home. Of course, many skills were like riding a bike; all you had to do was get back into the habit of it all and you were fine. That’s exactly what Yao had done, and he felt relatively prepared to give Feliks a proper lesson. 

Knocking on the door, Yao took a step back as he waited for an answer. From behind the door, he could hear someone practically tripping over everything they possibly could to get to the door. The door swung open, and Yao was greeted by Feliks’ signature grin. 

“Good morning,” Yao greeted. 

“Morning!” Feliks replied, cheery. He moved aside so Yao could step in. “And welcome! Come in, come in!” 

Stepping inside, Yao immediately looked around to see that the apartment was relatively clean, except for a few stray blankets, throw pillows, and half-empty water bottles randomly placed somewhere. 

“Sorry for the mess!!” Feliks said, rushing past him. “I was cleaning up and then I got distracted, then I started cleaning again, and then I got distracted!! It’s a never ending cycle.” 

Yao looked around the room, looking for whatever he could have gotten distracted by. “Don’t worry about the mess,” he then said. “It’s just proof that you live here.” 

“Oh,” Feliks froze in midstep, holding onto an empty water bottle. “I never thought of it like that,” he said, tilting his head as he thought about it. “I guess you’re right!” 

Yao smiled. “Should I sit in a particular spot? I didn’t know where--”

“Sit anywhere you like!” Feliks replied. “Can I get you anything to drink? We have coffee, tea, water…”

“What kind of tea do you have?” 

“Uhhhhhhh…” Feliks’ voice trailed off as he opened a bunch of different kitchen cabinets, looking for where the tea was kept. Soon, he opened one and pulled out a box of tea bags that didn’t even look like it had been opened yet. “We have this kind?” he added, lifting up the box so Yao could see it. It looked like a generic brand of black tea, meaning that it had 0 flavor. 

Yao tried to mask his disapproval by looking away and clearing his throat. “Water’s fine,” he said. 

“Okay!” 

Setting down his bag of recently cleaned makeup brushes and a few newly purchased palettes, Yao sat down at the small dining table as Feliks quickly came over with two glasses of water. “So, tell me, are you self taught with makeup or…?” Yao asked. He already knew the answer, but it never hurt to be formal. 

“Yeah, self taught, if that’s what you want to call it. I mean I went to dance school and we had to sometimes do each other’s makeup, but I wasn’t always the best at it if I’m honest,” Feliks explained. “I just kinda throw the makeup on and call it a day.” 

Nodding, Yao crossed his legs and leaned against the table. “So, you never had a drag mother who could teach you or anything?” 

Feliks shook his head. “In Poland? You think there are a lot of drag queens where I’m from? No, no drag mothers or sisters or anything. Always me, myself and I.” 

“Ah,” Yao chuckled. “Did you tell me that the other day? I’m sorry, I didn’t remember you telling me you were from Poland. Though, with your drag persona’s last name being ‘Pierogi’, I should have guessed. It must’ve been tough, living in such a h--”

“Yeah,” Feliks said, a bit too quickly. “It’s weird, because at night, people loved me. Men, especially, couldn’t get enough of me. But by day time, all they wanted to do was squash me like a cockroach,” He sighed, leaning his elbows on the table. Resting his face in his hands, he squished his cheeks a little which gave him a pouty look. “It sucks. It was a hard decision to leave. Granted, so much had happened while I was there, with Tolys’ ex and everything, it was kinda like, why  _ wouldn’t _ we leave, you know? But I didn’t want to, really. But soon, things became too much, and despite me still loving my country, I felt like I couldn’t stay in a place that didn’t love me back.” 

Yao nodded again; he should’ve known that Feliks would be the type of person who would tell too much at first. “I get it,” Yao said, opening his bag. “Kind of. Maybe not in the same way, but my mother and I didn’t get along because of my lifestyle. I had to leave the family I loved too. Briefly,” Pulling out what he had brought along, he quickly tried to change the topic. He didn’t want to dwell too much on himself. “So, what do you need help with?” 

“Everything,” Feliks answered. “Oh! Wait, I should go and get my stuff, right? I recently bought a bunch of cool stuff and I wanna show it off!” Before Yao could answer, he was already running off to his bedroom and came back with a stack of makeup. 

“You...you have a lot of stuff,” Yao said.  _ For someone who’s not the best at makeup, that is _ . He thought to himself. 

“Yeeeeaaah, I know. Do you follow the trends nowadays? There’s so many cool things out there, especially eyeshadow! I’ve always wanted to start experimenting, but then I get distracted or I try it and it looks like poop, you know?” Feliks rambled. He opened a palette and dug his finger into an eyeshadow pan, eventually swatching the pigment onto his hand. “Look at this!” he shouted, excitedly. “It’s multiple colors! How does it do that??!!” 

Laughing, Yao ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. It was charming to see Feliks being excited over little things, even  _ if _ he was going to be a potential handful. Fortunately, he seemed passionate and interested in makeup and improving his skills. “Alright, talk me through your routine,” 

“Routine?” 

“Yes, what’s your makeup routine?” 

Feliks hesitated for a second. “Um, I just throw it on?” 

Yao stared at him for a moment before sighing. “What do you start with? Eyeshadow? Foundation? Primer? What?” 

“It depends upon my mood,” Feliks replied, shrugging. 

_ You’re kidding me _ . Yao thought, looking away. “Okay, well, the first step we’re going to learn today is that you need to prep your face,” he began. He pulled out a small squeeze tube bottle and placed it on the table. “This is your primer. This particular one is my personal favorite; it smooths over your pores and also hydrates your skin. Primer is an important step to making sure your makeup lasts through the night.” 

“O...kay...I mean, is it  _ necessary _ though? I feel like I could just put on my moisturizer and--”

“Use the primer,” Yao interrupted, sternly. “Having a moisturized face is good, but adding something else on top to help your makeup last longer is important. Once you’ve put it on, go get the foundation you typically use.” 

Feliks quickly followed Yao’s instructions, and while he disappeared to the bedroom again in search of the rest of his usual makeup products, Yao also put on the primer. As Feliks sat back down, he set his products on the table haphazardly and leaned back in his seat. “Wait, are you doing your makeup too?” 

“Of course,” Yao answered. “The best way to teach someone makeup is to apply it alongside them,” Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a glue stick and slid it on the table. “Now, eyebrows. What do you do?” 

“Uh,” Feliks looked at the glue stick, confused. “Uuuh, I just fill mine in.”

“It’s alright,” Yao said. “Brows are tricky, but they can really change the shape of your face. How about this: I will do one of your brows, talking you through each step. Then, I’ll step away to do my brows while you do the other brow. Sound fair?” 

“Yep!” 

Pulling his chair closer, Yao opened the glue stick and leaned forward a bit, gently putting glue on the tail ends of Feliks’ right eyebrow. “I’m not going to suggest you shave your brows off or anything. Only once you’re comfortable with drawing a new brow should you shave it all off. That is, if you want to paint on brows day and night,” Yao explained. “By gluing down the tail of your brow and setting it with powder, this will give you the opportunity to arch your brow just a little more. Thus, changing the shape of your face to make Roksana look more like, well, Roksana.” 

The apartment went quiet as Yao concentrated on drawing and filling in Feliks’ eyebrow, making sure it was something different but still easy enough for him to match it on the other side. “How long have you been doing drag? Minus the years you’ve been out of commission.” Feliks asked. 

“I started when I was around 19 or 20, so...6 or 7 years,” Yao answered. “But I had been experimenting with makeup before that, much to my mother’s dismay.” 

“Your mom didn’t agree with your lifestyle?” Feliks continued. “Did she just...not understand drag or was it the gay thing too?” 

“It was mostly the drag thing,” Yao said. Finished with helping Feliks, he leaned back and busied himself to prepare to do his own eyebrows. “I don’t date much, so that never really came up. But wearing makeup and dressing up like a woman...well, she didn’t care for it much.” 

“I see,” Feliks picked up his mirror, staring at himself, unsure of where to start. “How come? If you don’t mind me asking,” 

“Not at all,” With glue on his eyebrows, Yao grabbed an eyebrow brush and pushed the hairs upwards. “She always said it was to protect me. If I behaved or dressed differently than the other boys, she thought I would get hurt, somehow.” 

“That’s sort of understandable,” Feliks mumbled. “Mothers are protective of their kids. Mine was too.”

Yao shrugged. “The older I got, it always felt like she was hiding something about herself too,” He paused. “Is your mother still around?” he then asked. 

“No, she and my father passed a while ago. I like to think she would have accepted me if I had gotten the chance to come out to her. My father was always complaining that she spoiled me too much or whatever. He said it would make me too girly or something, which I mean,” Feliks paused and laughed a bit. “I guess he wasn’t wrong. Are you and your mother on good terms, now?” 

Yao hesitated. He hated talking about this subject. “No. She’s gone.” 

“Oh,” Feliks froze. “I’m so sorry. What happened?” 

Tossing his eyebrow brush aside, Yao took a deep breath before answering. “Breast cancer,” 

Feliks frowned, his shoulders slumped. “Shit. I swear it feels like everyone I know has lost their mom. It’s like the universe thinks it’s a sick joke or something. You lost your mom, I lost my mom, Mirage lost her mom…”

“Mirage?” Yao asked, playing dumb. He looked to Feliks and realized that Feliks had trouble drawing in the tail of his other eyebrow. It was arched way too high, giving him a quizzical look on his face and Yao had to keep himself from laughing at it. “Mirage as in Mirage Voilà?” 

“Yeeaah,” Feliks rolled his eyes. “Speaking of the devil, she’s been a bitch to me lately, and I don’t know why.” 

Leaning back in his chair, Yao crossed his legs and took a deep breath. He never liked hiding any information from his friends or  _ anyone _ for that matter. “May I be honest with you about something?” he asked. 

Feliks shrugged. “Sure,”

“Mirage is... _ somewhat _ of a drag daughter of mine. I didn’t start her in drag, but when she moved here to London, I took her under my wing for a bit. She’s partly the reason why I saw your performance the other night,” 

Feliks slowly nodded. “Okay…”

“Please don’t be discouraged by that,” Yao defended himself. “She invited me, that much is true, but I came of my own accord. When she invited me, she was behaving in a similar manner to how she did when I knew her when she first arrived here. Drama stirring. Bitter. Jealous. She treated her drag sisters back then horribly, and I worry that she’s about to do the same to you so that she can remain on top.” 

Thinking for a moment, Feliks nodded again. “Hm. She told me about her competitive nature once before. I never thought it would come back to bite  _ me _ . I should’ve known better, I guess,” He paused, glancing at Yao with a skeptical look. “You’re not, like,  _ working _ for her, are you?” 

“No, no,” Yao answered. “Like I said, I came to your show of my own accord. Kiku also put in a good word for you, and given that I’ve been friends with Kiku for  _ far _ longer than I have been with Mirage, I trust his word over hers.” 

Feliks grinned and clapped his hands. “Oh, good! I was worried there for a second! You’re so nice, but like, down to earth,” He crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. “So, let me guess, Mirage is trying to sabotage me in a way?” 

“Yes. The way she sabotaged her drag sisters was putting a negative word about them around town, spreading rumors and taking their place in gigs they were fired from. She would even use sisters against one another, ruining friendships and careers that would end up benefiting her.” 

“Sheesh,” Feliks commented. “It was  _ that _ bad?” 

“She really was much  _ worse _ back then. I  _ think _ she’s grown up a little since. But, what I do know, is she  _ is _ attempting it again. She came to me when my restaurant was closing a few weeks back. She was pleading with me that there’s a new queen in town who doesn’t understand the  _ true  _ essence of drag--”

“What?!”

“--and that I should come back to teach new fans of drag what drag is  _ really _ about. In other words,”

“She wanted you to return to drag not because  _ you  _ want to, but because  _ she _ wants  _ you _ to push  _ me _ out?!” Feliks asked. He huffed and crossed his arms against his chest. “The  _ audacity _ ! I never realized that she was  _ that _ insecure!” 

Yao laughed. “Well, you see, she’s always been slightly insecure. She won’t admit it, but I saw it from the first day I met her. The most unfortunate thing is, is that she’s sneaky. She really knows how to put those psychology degrees to use. For good and for bad. Once you’ve realized what she’s done, it’s too late. The damage has been done.” 

Feliks smirked. “But not this time, right? You caught on to her little scheme,”

“Of course,” Yao smirked as well. “It’s not smart to  _ ignore _ the lesson when it’s given to you, now is it? I’d hate to see you, a talented queen, or any talented queen for that matter, have their career ruined because of Mirage’s greedy needs.” 

Feliks hesitated. “Did she sabotage your drag career?” 

“Yes and no,” Yao muttered. “I quit on my own accord. I quit so that I could take care of my family. But, Mirage and I did have a falling out before I quit.” 

“What happened?” 

Thinking for a moment, Yao took a deep breath. “For the lack of better words, when shit hits the fan, you expect your family, blood related or chosen, to be there for you. Mirage showed me who she truly was when she not only sabotaged her drag sisters, but by not being by my side when I needed my drag family most. She chose herself, in the end, and that was the final straw.” 

The room fell silent for a bit as Feliks processed what he had said. He swore under his breath and ran his hands over his face. Yao could tell he was worried that a friend he had put a lot of trust in could very well betray him. “Well,” Feliks said, reaching for his glass of water. “I thank you for your concern, but, I can handle Miss Mirage Voilà now that I know what she’s plotting,” 

“But can you handle your makeup, though?” Yao asked. 

Feliks leaned his head back as he laughed, forgetting that he was holding a glass of water and spilling a bit of water on himself. “Touche! I can’t, and that’s why you’re here!” He paused. “What’s your Venmo? I should pay you for the lesson. It’s the first of many, right?” 

Yao looked at him with a confused expression. “Well, yes, but...a what?” 

“Venmo?” Feliks looked back at him just as confused. “Do you not...know what Venmo is?” 

“No?” Yao replied, laughing awkwardly. 

“Really? It’s been around for like, ever?? How do you not know? Did you not use it when you used to do drag?” 

“Uh,” Yao hesitated. “No? I asked for checks or cash.” 

Feliks thought for a moment. “Okay, um, it’s like Paypal, but faster.” 

“Oh,” Yao shrugged. “How about this: I’m awfully out of practice when it comes to performing and dancing. So I was thinking...I give you makeup lessons and you give me dance lessons?”

Feliks’ eyes widened in surprise as an uncontrollable smile appeared on his face. “Really?!” he asked. 

“Really. I’ve been out of practice for 6 years; there’s no way I’ll be able to do what I could do in my 20s. I’ll need some help and--”

Quickly clasping onto Yao’s hand, Feliks jumped out of his seat and jumped up and down for a bit. “I’d love to!! And I bet you’ll get back in the swing of things in no time!” 

Chuckling, Yao checked the time and soon began gathering his things. “Then it sounds like a plan,” he said. “We could alternate days, if that works for your schedule.”

“Yes! It works!” 

“Great; shall we meet at the same time?” 

“Yep!” 

They continued to chat a little bit more as Yao finished gathering up most of his belongings (he should have known that they would only cover one thing at a time) before making their way over to the door. Stepping out into the hallway, Yao turned around to say one last goodbye before walking away. 

“Oh!” Feliks exclaimed. “By the way, there’s another club in town that’s looking for a replacement for next weekend,” 

“Which club?” Yao asked. 

“The new one!  **_Lyst_ ** ?” Feliks clarified. “I’m supposed to perform there next week, along with Elektra,”

“Who?” 

“Elektra City! You’ll love her! She’s a little different; she’s not about the glitz and glam of drag. She’s more punk! She’s great!! Another queen was going to perform the same night with us, but they broke their leg last week! So  **_Lyst_ ** needs someone else to fill in. I think you’d be a great candidate!” Feliks hesitated with a grin as he put his hands behind his back. “Would you be interested?” 

Yao thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure if his preparations to return to drag would be done by then. He wanted to start back up with a bang, not fumbling around and embarrassing himself in front of a new, crowded club. Then again, he could treat it as a practice round. 

“Why not?” Yao finally answered. “It’ll be good practice.”

“That’s the spirit!!” Feliks cheered. “We’ll have to train extra hard this week then. Just be prepared!!” 

Yao nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll be prepared,” Turning away to make his way to the stairwell, he looked over his shoulder again. “It was really nice to meet you formally, Feliks. I have a feeling we’re going to be a great team.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay of the chapter upload. I had been procrastinating so much on working on this story, that though I technically had chapter 8 finished, I wanted to give myself some extra time to catch up and stuff. I would also like to be honest that I have been a little down lately, mainly because of the state of the world right now. But! Today I'm feeling better because of the results of the election so hopefully, I will be more motivated in not only writing but with everything else that I do. I was actually going to upload this chapter around noon today, but the results of the election came out and I got so excited that I had to celebrate so I made a drink, put waaaay too much vodka in it and got, um, a little tipsy to say the least. So I waited to sober up a bit before my final read through to the chapter and uploading it to Ao3. 
> 
> Anyways, here is chapter 8, finally! Feliks and Yao get to chat a little more and gossip (is this gossiping? or is this just talking behind people's backs? basically gossiping right lol?) about Francis. If there are any errors or mistakes that I have made in this chapter, please let me know! I appreciate critiques and comments! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Tumblr: @bonnefoys  
> Twitter: @kviolinia


	9. Preparation

Now Francis was getting annoyed. 

No matter how many times he messaged Yao on Instagram, he never got a reply in return. _You’re nice enough to reach out to someone and they blow you off. How inconsiderate._ Francis thought to himself as he reread the messages he wrote in the chat box. Sitting in one of the university’s dining spots, Francis tuned out all of the cacophony chatter of university students surrounding him as he tried to enjoy the mediocre coffee from the university cafe. 

Francis knew that he should let it all go; if Yao wanted to blow him off, then so be it. But the new rivalry between him and Feliks was beginning to eat him alive, and he had to do something about it. He didn’t want to fade in the background; fading away and becoming a forgettable queen was his worst fear. Though Francis had a _real_ job, drag meant the world to him, and losing all that he had worked for because of some _busted_ dancing queen would mean that it was all for nothing. By bringing someone else onto the scene, people would focus on the returning queen and all would be balanced out. 

“Bonnefoy!” 

Looking up, Francis saw one of the interns for the psych department approaching him, carrying her own lunch. He smiled and gave a half wave. “Emma, it’s good to see you. I feel like I hardly ever get to see you,” he greeted. Francis only knew Emma on an acquaintance level; there wasn’t much about her other than she was a hard worker and an extreme flirt. She was most well-known to Francis as the “girl who broke Lovino’s heart” 3 to 4 years ago. It was a mere coincidence that she became a doctoral student where Francis worked. She was a part-time doctoral student, taking her time to really perfect and enjoy her time obtaining her final degree. 

“How’s interning for Dr. Forager?” he added. 

Emma groaned. “It’s going,” she answered, sitting down. “It would be nice to get a head start on my dissertation, but Dr. Forager _insists_ on giving me the stuff he doesn’t want to do. Which is pretty much _everything_.” 

Francis chuckled. “Well, he is pretty old. Perhaps he’s preparing you to take his job once he retires.” 

Emma shrugged, unwrapping her sandwich. “Maybe,” she said. “Or he just likes being a hardass.” 

“Besides that, how’s it going?” 

“Pretty good,” Emma took a bite of her sandwich and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “My social life is kind of shit, but I’m taking time to look after me, you know?”

“Understandable. Your career comes first.” Francis agreed. 

“So what’s up with you? You look as if something’s bothering you,” Emma asked. 

Sighing, Francis nodded and tapped his finger against his coffee cup. “Ah, well, I recently reached out to an old friend and they’re ignoring me. I thought enough time passed between so that we could put our differences aside, but, I suppose it still wasn’t enough time.” 

“I’m sorry,” Emma said. “Sometimes, friendships can’t be mended. Time changes people, and even though it hurts like hell, it’s best to cherish the friendships as they once were but still move on.” 

_But I don't want to move on; I want to fix it_ . Francis thought to himself as he took a sip of his coffee. _And I want him to help me like he used to_. “Then there’s the whole thing with another friend. We’re in competition with one another, see, and--”

“You mean Mirage Voilà and Roksana Pierogi are in competition with one another?” Emma asked for clarification. Though Francis preferred keeping his drag life away from his work life, Emma was the only one who _knew_ Francis did drag on the weekends. She was pretty good with secrets, and in turn, Francis was good with her secrets. “Why? Both of you are--”

“Roksana’s stealing my thunder,” Francis blurted. 

“Oh no, God forbid Mirage not be on top!” Emma taunted. 

“That, and she doesn’t know what drag _really_ means.”

“Doesn’t it mean something different for everyone?” Emma questioned. “It’s an escape for some and an art for others?” She paused, smirking. “It’s an escape for you, isn’t it?” 

Francis chuckled. He knew what she was doing; it was something he did himself too. A lot of other psychology professors and majors called it “picking your brain;” it was a way to subtlety figure someone out without their knowledge. 

Too bad Emma was bad at being subtle. 

“Yes,” Francis answered, playing along with her game. “It’s an escape for me.” 

“Then keep it at that,” Emma said. “Just worry about yourself, Bonnefoy.” 

“Easier said than done,” Francis sighed. “Easier said than done.” 

Emma rolled her eyes. “I get it. You couldn’t control your childhood, so you want to control everything in your adulthood, correct? After the loss of your mother, your father abused and neglected you, so now you want everyone to know how great you are. So now, that someone in your inner circle threatens your low-tier fame that you’ve worked hard for, you want to get rid of them,” She paused and winked. “Close?” 

Francis snorted. “You’re a terrible psychiatrist.” 

Emma laughed and shook her head. “No, you’re just mad that I figured it out so easily,” 

“Right,” Francis said, smirking. “Let me see if I can return the favor, Emma. Your social life is shit because you’re still dealing with your brothers’ businesses, right? They expect you to help them out and be at their beck and call, despite you trying to get your life together. You’re quite sick of them, but you don’t have the heart to push them away. They consume all of your free time,” He paused, watching her facial expressions to see if he was correct. “Close?” 

She smiled and took another bite of her sandwich. “Not bad, Bonnefoy. A gold star for you,” 

“Well, I’ve been in the game a lot longer than you have,” 

Rolling her eyes, Emma leaned back in her chair. “Oh, that’s another thing. Your cockiness is very annoying. Perhaps that’s why your friend doesn’t want anything to do with you?” 

Francis gave her a glare and soon stood up. “Well, I hate to leave you here,” he said. 

“Aw, did I strike a nerve?” Emma teased. 

“But I have to get ready for my 1:00 class,” Francis finished, gathering his things. He patted her shoulder as he walked past her. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Emma. I hope Dr. Forager isn’t too hard on you.” 

“Remember this, Bonnefoy: humility is key!!” Emma hollered after him. 

Shaking his head as he stepped out of the building, he discovered that the typical mist that covered the city of London had turned into moderate rain, which was even more of a nuisance than usual. Opening his umbrella, Francis stepped into the crowded student body traffic as he made his way over to the psychology building. 

Once he was settled back into his office, Francis pulled out his phone to waste time until it was time to teach his class. Sure, he could grade those tests that were sitting on his desk, but who wanted to spend 10 minutes looking at wrong answers and dealing with the fact that his students didn’t pay attention in class? As he checked all of his social media and froze when he came across an announcement post from **_Lyst_ ** (yes, he followed them even though he had never stepped foot in their building ever). 

**_Saturday Night!_** **_Three Drag Performances!_**

_Roksana Pierogi - returns to open the show!_

_Elektra City - what will she destroy this time??_

_And finally, the return of a legend - Hua Li!_

_Show starts @21:00_

Calmly setting his phone on his desk, Francis took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He sat still for a moment in silence, before letting out a light chuckle. “I should’ve known,” he muttered to himself. “I suppose I now know what I’m doing tomorrow night.”

“Higher! We don’t call them high kicks for nothing!” 

It was the day that Yao was to make his return to the drag scene and his first performance was in T-11 hours. He knew he should really be resting and stretching to prepare for the show, but he wanted to be sure that he was in top shape to perform. 

Yao and Feliks were thankful that Ludwig was kind enough to let them use the stage at **_Atomica_ ** as a practice venue. Dance training with Feliks had been no easy feat, either. Yao underestimated how tough Feliks would be in his instruction. Granted, Yao told him to _not_ go easy on him, because he had so much catching up to do. No matter how much his body told him to stop and rest, Yao continued to push himself further. 

Taking a small break, Yao bent over as he tried to catch his breath. “Sorry,” he said, breathing heavy. He turned and grabbed his water bottle to take a quick sip. “I didn’t realize how out of shape--”

“No worries,” Feliks said, walking over to the side to grab his towel. “I’m just being a hardass for no reason.”

“I told you to,” Yao replied. “If I’m going to have a chance in competing with you younger queens, I need to push myself to the limit.” 

Feliks laughed. “You’re only 33. Stop acting like you’re 53,” He threw his towel over his shoulder and grinned. “Well, _I_ think you’re ready for tonight. For the song I picked for you, anyway.” 

Nodding, Yao smiled. He had prepared two songs for tonight’s performance; one song was one that Feliks picked to test Yao’s new abilities he had learned with him while the other was a song Yao performed often when he did drag regularly. He had high expectations for himself; if tonight didn’t go well, he would probably laugh it off and go back to having the restaurant and his family as his primary focus. 

“Are you excited?” Feliks then asked. “I’m _super_ excited to see you perform live! Elektra’s also gonna love you!” 

Yao chuckled as he brushed stray strands of hair away from his face. He checked the time on the clock and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m running late for work,” he said. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. 

“It’s fine! We were overworking ourselves anyway,” Feliks replied. They gathered their belongings and began to make their way to the exit. “Rest before the performance tonight, okay?” he added as he opened the door. “Wouldn’t want you pulling a muscle or anything. I’ve been there and it _suuuuuucks_.” 

Yao sighed. “Definitely; I’ve been there plenty of times when I was younger,” he said. “But it will be difficult to get rest when I have a full shift at the restaurant until closing.” 

“But you’re closing early, right?” Feliks asked. 

“I can’t just close early!” Yao replied. 

“Aren’t you the owner? You can do whatever you want, right?” 

Yao turned to him and laughed, but stopped as soon as he realized that Feliks was serious. “Y-you can’t just do whatever you want when you run a restaurant! There are hours in place and--”

“But you own it right?” Feliks asked again. “What’s it gonna hurt if you close a little early?” 

“I--” Yao stopped himself and sighed. He couldn’t really argue with him as he had a point; he owned the restaurant, he could close an hour early if wanted to. But then he’d have to explain to everyone why they were closing early. _Or maybe they won’t bat an eye because it’s the weekend_? Yao thought to himself. “I’ll think about it. I can only close an hour early, if anything.” 

“But isn’t that an hour before the show starts? You need more time than that to get ready, right?” Feliks questioned. 

Yao smirked as he began to walk in the direction of the restaurant. “There were times when I got ready in 15 minutes before a show. It didn’t matter what form of transportation, either; if I was given a last minute show, I had to do what I needed to do. An hour before is plenty of time.” 

“But...shouldn’t you just give yourself a little bit more time?” Feliks called after him. “Just to be sure?” 

“We’ll see,” Yao replied, waving as he continued walking away. He knew Feliks was right and he’d have to come up with a plan to give himself just a little more time to prepare for the performance. It would be easy to explain to Kiku, as he already knew of the upcoming performance and was looking forward to it anyway. But the last time he gave his siblings and Yong-Soo the night off early, they were confused. They would most certainly ask for an explanation this time. 

As the day went on, Yao went about his work shift finding that his mind was focused on anticipating everything regarding his upcoming performance. Typically, he never got nervous when he had done drag in his 20s. But now, having been away from the drag scene for so long, he couldn’t help but think about everything that could potentially go wrong. There was always that overcritical voice in his head that said he _had_ to do well. His return _had_ to be done right, otherwise, it would be an embarrassment. 

Especially if Mirage Voilà was watching; Yao would never hear the end of it from her. 

3 hours before the performance, a huge takeout order had been placed. It must’ve been for a huge party of some sort (which Yao _hated_ when people thought they were clever enough to find a “loophole” in his “NO CATERING” policy by just placing a huge order of food), and it was going to take a long time to make all of the food _and_ serve the people sitting in the restaurant. 

Thankfully, he, Kiku and with the help of Leon, were able to cook all of the food within an hour and a half. The people came to pick up the food and as Yao told his brother to go back to waiting tables, he checked the time and had to hide his panic. 

“Go,” Kiku said, without looking away from what he was doing. “I’ll cover for you.” 

“But--” Yao began. 

“I’ll say you didn’t feel well,” Kiku added. 

“I hardly ever get sick,” 

“Fine, then I’ll say you threw your back out picking up a carrot.” 

Yao glared at him as he took off his apron and threw it on the floor before walking over to the back exit. “Say I’m not feeling well. That’s more believable,” he said. 

“I dunno, but, okay,” Kiku said. “But if they don’t believe me, I’ll have to use that excuse.” 

Shaking his head, Yao hurried out of the restaurant and turned the corner to take the steps up to the apartment above. He had to be quick; he wanted to get ready in the comfort of his home as much as possible, but also wanted to leave in enough time so that his siblings wouldn’t see him and ask a million questions in one breath. Grabbing his old duffel bag, Yao threw in the outfits he was going to use for the performance (by folding them neatly and gently placing them in the bag, of course) before moving over to his mother’s old vanity that he hadn’t been bothered to move out of the room when he finally decided to take her room. He put on the majority of his base--primer, foundation, concealer, powders--before checking the time and realizing he needed to get moving over to **_Lyst_ **. 

Tossing the rest of his makeup for the night in the duffel bag and a pair of high heels, Yao slung the bag over his shoulder and started to make his way to leave the apartment. As he approached the door, he could hear the voices of his siblings echo in the stairwell. _Shit, Kiku closed up early._ He thought to himself. 

“Can you believe he threw out his back because of a carrot? How lame.” He heard Leon say. 

“Maybe he was dehydrated or something. I heard when you get older, you have to drink more water otherwise your muscles give out.” Xiao-Mei replied. 

Not wanting to waste any time, Yao practically ran back to his room, closed the door and locked it so that no one could get in. He then opened the window, climbed out and left via the fire escape, a move he hadn’t done since his teenage years. Jumping down from the last staircase, Yao found Kiku leaning against the building, staring at his phone, waiting. 

“You’ve gotten slow,” Kiku mentioned without looking up. 

Sighing, Yao walked past him. “I’m out of practice,” he excused. “Also, remind me to kick your ass later.” 

Catching up to him, Kiku tried not to laugh. “Because of the carrot thing?” 

“Yes!! I told you not to use that excuse!!” 

“But I told them you weren’t feeling well and they asked what happened! What else was I supposed to do?” 

“Food poisoning? I cut myself? There are so many excuses that exist.” 

Kiku snorted. “Neither of those are believable either.” 

“Fine,” Yao said. “But you could’ve at least said it was a heavy package or something instead of a _carrot_.” 

The two of them laughed as they walked briskly to **_Lyst_ ** , thankful that it was closer in proximity in comparison to **_Atomica_ **. Feliks had told Yao earlier to go to the entrance in the back and knock on the door three times. When the door opened, a man with disheveled blond hair greeted him. 

“Hi! You must Hua, right?” he greeted with a chipper tone. 

“Yes,” Yao answered. He glanced at Kiku, who had followed him. “Don’t mind my friend here; he just wants to skip the long line.” 

“Yeah, no problem!” The man offered his hand and to Yao, seemed a hell of a lot friendlier than Ludwig. “I’m Matthias, co-owner of **_Lyst_ ** here! It’s nice to meet you, and thank you so much for filling in at the last minute! Roksana put in a good word for you, so we are excited to see you perform tonight!” He finally stepped aside. “Come on in and I’ll show you to the dressing room.” 

The two of them followed Matthias into the building, hearing loud, muffled club music coming from otherside of the wall. They were led to a nicely refurbished dressing room that was big enough to ensure everyone in there had their own space. 

“Looks like you’re still getting ready, so I’ll leave you be! Break a leg, everyone!” Matthias said before walking away. 

“I’ll see you out there, then,” Kiku muttered, tapping Yao’s arm with his elbow. “Remember to breathe.” he then added before walking away as well, closing the door behind him. 

Setting his belongings down at the last free work space, Yao glanced up in the mirror to see Feliks concentrating as he was trying to finish making his eyebrows match. As Yao got to work to finish his look as well, he smiled. “You’re getting better, I see,” he said. 

“Uh huh,” Feliks replied. He paused for a moment to look up so that he wouldn’t mess up his hard work. “I’ve been practicing,” He set his brush down for a moment. “You had me worried ‘cause you weren’t here yet. I was like ‘Oh my God, he’s not gonna have enough time’ and then you literally show up here with half of your face done.” 

“I told you, I can get my makeup done fairly quickly. Multitasking is good for some things.” Yao said. 

There was a sudden loud crashing sound behind them and as they turned around, they saw that the changing divider had fallen over. “Sorry!!!! I always forget when I have hip pads on and I bump into things!!” 

Feliks laughed. “Elektra, meet Hua and Hua, meet Elektra,” he said. “Don’t worry, she’s always knocking stuff over.” 

Elektra put up the divider and soon turned around to properly introduce herself. Yao was at first struck by how intense her makeup was; Feliks wasn’t kidding when he said that Elektra was a bit more punk than the rest of them. She had on a bright, cyan-dyed wig, a dramatic, black winged eyeliner accompanied with a dark smokey eye, all paired with an ombre lipstick of cobalt blue in the middle and black lining the outside. She also wore icy-blue contacts in, giving her a distinctive look. 

“Sorry if I look a little scary,” Elektra said. Her higher voice didn’t seem to match her dark, punk-like vibe. “I promise I’m really nice!” 

Yao laughed. “I don’t think you’re scary,” he said. 

“Oh, good! Some people are really taken back because I look kind of intense.” Elektra added. 

“This is actually tame for you,” Feliks chimed in. “You should see some of her looks on Instagram; she’s done stuff with prosthetics for Halloween and it’s _wild_ . That sexy zombie look was a _mindfuck_.” 

“Prosthetics?” Yao asked, impressed. “I like to think I’m pretty good at makeup, but I was never able to get the hang of prosthetics. You’ll have to teach me sometime.”

Elektra giggled as if it was nothing. “Certainly! It’s actually quite simple once you get used to it,” She stepped into some knee-high boots and carefully zipped them up to be sure they wouldn’t get caught in her already ripped panty-hose. “Roksana tells me this is your first performance back to drag after awhile. Are you excited?” 

As Yao turned his attention back to finishing his face, he shrugged. “It’s a mixed bag,” he answered. “I never got nervous when I was younger, and now my stomach is feeling a bit twisted.”

“You’ll be fine,” Feliks mentioned, stepping away from the mirror to get dressed. “Take it from me; once you step on the stage, you’ll feel right at home again.” 

Smiling, Yao sighed. “I hope you’re right,” 

“Isn’t this being disloyal, Francis?” Arthur asked. 

He and Francis were standing outside the still sparkling new club, **_Lyst_ ** , waiting in line to get in. Francis had been going on and on earlier about he wanted to spend his first night off from drag watching others perform. He _claimed_ it was because “queens should support other queens,” which Arthur was sure he meant genuinely _somewhere_ , but really knew that Francis wanted to see who he was competing with. 

“I’ve been at **_Atomica_ ** for so long; it’ll be nice to have a break,” Francis answered. “Plus, it’s good to support other clubs...and scope out competition.” 

There it was. Arthur sighed. “Let me guess, Roksana is here,” Arthur said. 

“Roksana and my friend who keeps avoiding me,” 

“Right. What was her name again? Hooo...something?” 

“ _Hua_ . It’s not _that_ hard, _mon chou_ ,” Francis crossed his arms against his chest. “I also discovered that she’s on **_Atomica_ ** ’s schedule next month. That little sneak. I give her the idea to return to drag and she does, but works along with _Roksana_ . Of all people! She wants to work with _Roksana Pierogi_!” 

“Francis,” Arthur said, in a low voice. “You really should stop being jealous of her. Both of you are good at what you do, and--”

“She’s stealing _my_ spotlight! The spotlight I worked hard for! And she’s not really _that_ good. She just jumps around and flips and dances.” Francis complained. 

“Don’t you do that stuff too?” Arthur asked. 

Francis rolled his eyes. “Yes, but it’s _different_.” 

The couple that were standing in front of them were finally okayed in and stepped inside the club. The “bouncer” was a fairly tall, thin man with a clipboard and an unimpressed look upon his face. At first glance, Francis could have sworn he looked like one of his students, but realized that he looked much older. 

“Welcome to **_Lyst_ **,” he greeted. He stared at both Francis and Arthur for a moment, contemplating if he was going to card them or not. He reached over to unhook the stanchion to let them in, deciding that they were old enough. “Enjoy your evening.” 

“You’re not going to card us?!” Francis asked, slightly panicked. He looked over to his partner, who was already walking into the club. “Arthur, he’s not carding us!” 

Arthur stopped and turned around. “Isn’t that a good thing? It’s kind of annoying to be carded all the time.” 

“It means we’re…” Francis’ voice trailed off; he didn’t want to say it. “It means we’re _old_.” 

Arthur groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. “Ugh, Jesus Francis. Excuse my boyfriend,” he apologized. “He’s a drama queen over everything.” 

“I am not!” 

“It’s alright,” the bouncer said. “If it makes you feel better, I thought about it for a long time.” 

Francis hugged as he followed Arthur into the club and waved over his shoulder. “It doesn’t, but thanks anyway!” 

Arthur stopped in mid step and sighed, turning back around to the bouncer. “I’m really sorry. He’s normally not like this.” 

Stoic as ever, the bouncer shrugged. “I’ve dealt with worse. Enjoy your evening.” 

Both Francis and Arthur walked into the club, following the path that led to an overhang that looked over the dance floor. Scanning the place, they looked for the bar and slowly made their way over by squeezing through groups of people who were insistent of sticking together. Once at the bar, they were greeted by a familiar face. 

“Berwald?” Arthur asked, shocked. 

“Hello,” Berwald replied, waving ever so slightly to them. “Welcome to **_Lyst_ **. It’s good to see you both here.”

“I didn’t know you worked here,” Francis said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “I thought because you and Tiino married, you were done with the club life.” 

“We like to live a little,” Berwald answered. “Can I get you guys something to drink?” 

“Can you make an apple martini?” Arthur asked. 

“Sure,” 

Francis turned his back and leaned against the counter, observing everything going on in the club. “Is Tiino here? Or is this just a side hustle of yours?” 

“He’s somewhere,” Berwald grabbed a martini glass and began making Arthur’s drink. “Don’t you typically work on weekends, Francis?” 

“I have the night off,” he replied. “I came to see the competition.” 

_So you’re just going to be flat out and honest about it now?_ Arthur thought, staring at his beloved as Berwald slid his drink towards him. 

“Don’t you already know Roksana Pierogi?” Berwald questioned, leaning against the counter. 

Francis turned around and gave him a confused look. “How’d you already know?” 

“You two perform at **_Atomica_ ** a lot, correct?” he clarified. “I’ve seen the ads.” 

Francis relaxed a little, but still looked at him skeptically. “Right,” He sighed and smiled. “What kinds of drinks can you make, my friend?” 

“Anything you’d like,” 

“Do you know how to make a _Kir_? It’s been so long since I’ve had that and my sweet tooth is calling out to me tonight.” 

With a nod, Berwald immediately got to work by looking around to see what was around. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Where’s the best place to watch the show?” Francis then asked, watching Berwald work. “I want to be sure I can see everything, so I don’t want to be too close or too far away, that is.” 

“If you can grab a seat by the booths over there,” Berwald began, nodding to the otherside of the room. “You should be able to see the stage easily. But you’d better hurry, they fill up quick.” 

Arthur looked over to Francis to find him pouting, meaning that he wanted Arthur to go over and grab a seat while he waited for his drink. “I’ll meet you over there,” Arthur said, walking away. 

“Aw, thank you, _mon chou_ ,” Francis said, pecking Arthur’s cheek with a kiss. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Arthur mumbled under his breath, pushing through a group of people. The place was incredibly crowded, so crowded that the further away from the bar he got, Arthur was having trouble moving around people without having to rudely push them aside. It was the buzz of a relatively new club that brought so many people here, he knew, but there should have been a limit to how many people were allowed inside. _Do they just, not properly count how people are coming in?_ Arthur asked himself as he finally found an empty booth. 

Eventually, Francis joined him and took a seat next to him with his dark, cranberry colored drink. “ _Mon Dieu_ , this place is packed,” Francis said. “And I always thought **_Atomica_ ** was too crowded.” 

“Yes, well, I think this building is slightly bigger than **_Atomica_ ** ,” Arthur commented, looking up at the ceiling. **_Lyst_ ** also had a light modern touch to it; attention to detail was there, as if the owners spent large amounts of money to be sure their club was brought to the 21st century. Unlike **_Atomica_ **, that had managed to add a modern touch alongside an old school touch to it. “But it’s new. That newness will fade eventually, and people will find something else to flock to.” 

Francis slid one arm around Arthur’s and leaned against him. “Yes, you’re right,” he agreed. “Perhaps I’m just biased towards **_Atomica_ **, but the jury is still out for me.” 

Arthur smiled. “So, give me the rundown. Who, besides Roksana and Hua, who else is performing tonight?”

“I believe it’s just one other queen,” Francis said. “Elektra City. I’ve heard of her, but I don’t know much about her. And I didn’t quite spend enough time looking at her Instagram profile.” 

“Elektra City, huh? Well, I hope her performance is _electrifying_ ,” Arthur held in a laugh at his corny joke while Francis stared at him, unamused. “Aw, come on, love. I thought it was funny.” 

Francis chuckled and shook his head. “Could we save the dad jokes for when we’re in our 40s and have adopted two children?” 

Arthur smirked. “You know, that’s not too far away,” 

“Shhh,” Francis hushed him. “Don’t remind me that it’s ten years away from now. For me, at least. You’re still in your twenties,” He sighed. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Arthur.”

“Francis, you _just_ turned 30 in July,” 

“Enjoy it now, _mon chou_ , before it’s too late.” Francis continued dramatically. He leaned back and threw his hand over his forehead as if he were a character dying in a Shakespearean play before he and Arthur started laughing. 

Just then, the room went completely dark except for one little spotlight that shone on the stage. “Good evening, everybody! Tonight we’ve got an amazing show for you!” someone announced. “We must apologize for anyone who may, or may not, have been expecting Izzy Wannabe tonight. She unfortunately broke her leg at a performance and will be out of commission until she fully heals,”

“Ah, so that’s how Hua got this gig,” Francis mumbled. 

“But! We have an _amazing_ performer who will be taking her place tonight! But first, let’s give a warm welcome to the incredible, the crazy, the wacky Roksana Pierogi!!” 

As everyone cheered, Francis sat forward in his seat, leaning against the table ready for the show to begin. It had been awhile since he had sat out in the audience to watch a show without having to perform first. Tonight would certainly be a treat.

Once the music began, Francis took a sip of his drink and smirked to himself. “Let the judging commence.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay again; I'm very bad at managing my time these days. And yeah, I know; we have a cliffhanger. Sorry, but I didn't want the chapter to be too obnoxiously long!
> 
> I also wanted to make note that a friend recommended to me that I make all of my recent fanfics connected by the series feature here on Ao3 so that it's easier to find all of them. 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment or a critique! I read all of the comments and do my best to reply to them! Critiques are welcomed here! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I really appreciate all of your support! Please follow me either on Twitter or Tumblr; I'm going to try to keep you guys updated if a chapter is late. I also try to post funny things from time to time. 
> 
> See you soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Twitter: @kviolinia  
> Tumblr: @bonnefoys


	10. Return

When the music started, Francis was surprised that it had a more mellow feel to it rather than upbeat and high energy. It wasn’t really Roksana’s style, and it made Francis somewhat confused. Roksana was wearing a white dress, so long that it touched the floor (and had Francis already wondering how the hell she wasn’t tripping over it) and a small flower crown. She slowly walked to the edge of the stage, keeping her hands folded in a praying position and occasionally looking up to the ceiling. She was acting as if she was purely innocent, but something sinister was lying underneath. 

It was...kind of weird, and Francis liked it. 

_ No, I can’t  _ actually  _ like a Roksana Pierogi performance. She’s stealing my spotlight _ . Francis thought as he continued to watch as Roksana knelt down and pulled out a fake, battery operated candle from her sleeve.  _ Is she...telling a story?  _

“This is certainly something different,” Arthur mentioned, leaning closer to Francis. “It’s almost strange to see her perform without her launching herself to the sun.” 

Francis chuckled. “How much do you want to bet it’s only for one song, though,” he replied. “After this song, she’ll start doing all kinds of flips and spins. She can’t help herself.” 

“Or,  _ maybe _ she just does different styles at different venues,” Arthur said. “It pays to know your audience, don’t you think?” 

“Why are you defending her?” Francis asked, bitterly. Arthur was never a  _ fan _ of Roksana’s; he often would critique her performances of never really having any substance. It was unusual that he would defend her performances. 

“Cut it out, will you?” Arthur replied, somewhat annoyed. “I love you, Francis, but don’t you think you’ve got to stop? Jealousy is going to eat you alive. Roksana is experimenting a little. And that’s a  _ good _ thing for her don’t you think?” 

Francis huffed as he turned his attention back to the show just as the beat changed in the song. Roksana’s dance moves were now more rigid, which only accentuated the eeriness of the song. As the show continued, Francis couldn’t help but wonder why on earth Roksana would  _ ever  _ pick a song like this. It didn’t fit her style. It didn’t fit her personality. It doesn’t even fit what she  _ likes _ . 

_ Being a drag queen isn’t always about being sexy, or even doing what you love most. It’s about the show. It’s about evoking emotion. It’s about making a connection with your audience. Stick with one gimmick, and you’ll quickly lose your following. _

The nagging words from Yao from many years ago suddenly hit Francis like a bat to the back of the head. Francis sighed and realized his own misjudgement. Roksana was doing what she was  _ supposed  _ to do; flowing with the times. She was also finally comfortable enough in her career to put on performances that  _ she _ wanted to put on.  _ Maybe this is what she’s wanted to do all along? _

It still didn’t make sense; Roksana wasn’t her energetic self, and yet, the audience was eating her every move.  _ What am I missing? _ Francis kept thinking to himself as the song was mixed with another, changing the energy of the song from mellow and seductive to quick and energetic. As the songs switched, the performance became what Francis was used to in regards to Roksana’s style. Kicks, flips, and everything in between. But what was different this time round, was that her movements weren’t done to shock or surprise anyone, as she often did at  **_Atomica_ ** . No, her movements had reasoning behind them, as it was still continuing a story. 

_ Damn you, Roksana.  _ Francis thought to himself. He hated that he was being forced to reckon with the fact that Roksana was just simply  _ better _ than him. 

For once, Roksana’s performance ended in a pose rather than her signature split, and the crowd’s cheers were still just as deafening as they always were. Francis let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms against his chest. He had seen Roksana perform numerous times, and her show wasn’t why he came here. He came to see Hua as a surprise. But she was closing the show, and he’d have to sit through another bizarre show before Hua was up. 

“You’re pouting again,” Arthur mentioned, elbowing Francis’ arm. 

“I’m  _ not _ \--” Francis began but was cut off as the music for Elektra’s act started with a high pitched guitar riff. Lights were flashing quickly before there was a scream and a drum hit that initiated the song's true start. The mood was already drastically different from Roksana’s performance; the energy in the room had gone from fun, but somewhat artsy to angsty and frustrated. It was such a whirlwind of an adjustment that it took a moment for Francis to fully understand the change in energy. 

Francis’ first impression of Elektra was that she clearly liked bright colors, with her bright cyan wig and well, blue everything. Her outfit was tastefully put together, and her makeup skills were clearly intact (unlike another drag queen Francis knew). Francis quite liked Elektra’s look, but what threw him off completely was the harshness of the song. Why would someone who seems polished and beautiful perform to such an angry song? 

The rest of the audience didn’t seem to mind, though, as Elektra marched and jumped around the stage, acting as if she were screaming at random audience members. Even Arthur seemed to be really enjoying the show (a little  _ too _ much for Francis’ liking). As the chorus came round, Elektra smirked as she took turns flipping off the audience, mouthing along the simple lyrics.  _ How rude _ . Francis thought to himself, quickly beginning to be turned off by the performance. Fiddling with the collar of his shirt, Francis reached down to pull his phone out of his pocket, ready for Elektra’s act to be done. 

He then heard Arthur let out a heavy sigh. “Francis,” he said, turning to him. “Don’t be rude. We came here because  _ you _ wanted to be here.”

“I came here to see Hua,” Francis replied, just as there was a loud cracking sound from the stage. Looking back up at the stage, he saw that Elektra had smashed some chair that must have been hiding backstage. The audience cheers were so loud, it nearly covered the music. 

“Be honest with yourself. You wanted to see everyone perform tonight because you’re scoping out competition,” Arthur continued. He watched his lover’s facial expression as Elektra was headbanging and jumping around the broken bits of the smashed chair. Arthur chuckled. “I know the performance is a little jarring, but, I think it’s a lot of fun. Don’t you think you’re a little bit...closed minded when it comes to drag?” 

“There is  _ nothing _ close minded about drag,” Francis replied, mildly offended. “You can’t be closed minded if you’re a drag queen.” 

“Sure, but when it comes to different drag styles, you’re a bit closed minded,” Arthur clarified. “Hence, why we’re here.”

Francis laughed and shook his head. “I’m not closed minded,” he mumbled, glancing back at the stage just as Elektra jumped out into the audience to crowd surf. “I just think that queens should have a certain grace and elegance to them. That’s all.” 

“And that’s rather close minded of you, don’t you think, love?” Arthur asked, putting his arm around Francis’ shoulder. He smirked. “I think Elektra definitely lives up to her name, don’t you? Her performance is thrilling; and it’s a nice change of pace from the splits and the death drops and the whatnots.” 

“Are you saying my drag is boring,  _ mon chou _ ?” Francis asked. 

“ _ No _ , I’m saying that seeing Elektra tonight is a nice change of pace. That’s all,” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Quick question, before she walks off stage; does she seem familiar to you?” 

As Elektra clumsily climbed back on stage and turned around to bow, Francis thought for a moment as he watched her walk away. “Her butt seems familiar…”

“Her  _ butt _ ?!” 

“Yes, don’t you look at people’s butts? Everyone says eyes are distinguishing features but I think butts are much more distinguishable, don’t you think?” 

Arthur looked at Francis, unamused, and crossed his arms against his chest. “You can’t be serious,” 

“Oh Arthur, don’t be jealous! You have a lovely butt! Even if it is a little flat,” Francis assured.

“Francis!” 

“What? I said your butt is lovely!” 

Someone stepped on stage to sweep up, making sure that the stage was clean enough so that the next performer wouldn’t hurt themselves. A few minutes went by before the show was ready to start up again, and Francis leaned back in his seat, turning his attention away from the silly argument he and Arthur were having to focus on anticipating Hua’s arrival on stage. He had always loved watching her perform, and it had been six years since he’d seen her step on stage. Hua’s performances were on a different level than everyone else’s; at least, at the time of her prime. 

_ Will her style still hold up, years later, I wonder? _ Francis asked himself as the lights on stage went dark again. The music started as a very dim, spotlight shone on Hua, revealing that she was covering her face with her hands, except for one eye. Francis recognized the music and Hua’s stance immediately; this was one of her favorite songs to perform, and it was probably an easier performance to do after a long hiatus. 

The spotlight grew bright and bigger, encompassing Hua in light as she slowly started walking forward, moving her hands expressively as she mouthed along with the lyrics. The audience was clapping along with the beat to the familiar song, with small clusters of people drunkenly singing audibly to the song. Francis could see Hua smile just ever so slightly, a trait that she always did when she was happy that the audience was enjoying and vibing with the performance. 

The energy was building and building up to the first chorus, and once the chorus arrived, like magic, Hua threw flower petals into the air. The audience gasped in awe at the surprise and beauty of it as Hua continued to move gracefully with the melody of the song. Francis could almost see, step for step, the hundreds of different versions Hua had done of this song; the times with a fan, a snow machine, fog machine--you name it, she had done it. It was always done to elevate the performance, not uplift Hua herself. Hua envisioned and planned out her performances meticulously so that the proper message would be conveyed. 

Francis smiled as the crowd seemed to be in awe as they watched Hua move elegantly across the stage, her long hair and garments flattering her every move. When the song reached it’s bridge, she collapsed to the floor, looking up to the ceiling. The music gave a feeling of solace for a few seconds just before the beat came back in, as Hua took out two fans hiding from under her outfit. The fans were partially closed, open just enough for her to stick her fingers in so she could spin them around with ease before the final trick. When the song finished, she opened the fans with a flick of the wrist, letting flower petals fall over her and onto the floor. 

The crowd cheered as she stayed still for a moment, fanning herself and smirking as the flower petals settled in her hair and at her feet. The next song started, despite it being difficult to hear over the audience cheering. Hua quickly did one spin, which pushed all of the flower petals away from her feet, with some of them falling off of the stage. Tossing the closed fans behind her, she slowly began pulling off her outfit, flirting with the audience a bit. 

Francis raised an eyebrow, surprised. It wasn’t like Hua to be flirtatious; in fact, she often discouraged her drag daughters to be excessively flirtatious in their performances. Hell, she told Mirage to stop being so  _ promiscuous _ , as she loved to phrase it, on stage and off stage.  _ What a rare sight _ , Francis thought to himself.  _ To see Hua Li flirt with the audience. How fun _ ! 

Letting her first outfit finally fall to the floor, Hua turned her back to the audience and began walking to the back of the stage. As the song and performance continued, Francis suddenly felt that  _ this _ song didn’t feel like Hua’s typical gig. No, in fact, it was distinctively  _ Roksana _ , which confused Francis even more.  _ Hua would never take lessons from someone else, would she? _

Except, she would do exactly that. 

Hua was always encouraging everyone to learn something from each other, because everyone had at least one thing valuable to teach others. Being out of commission for 6 years meant Hua was out of practice. So, of course she would take advantage of her new friendship with Roksana by taking dancing lessons. 

The second chorus came around, and with her back turned to the audience, Hua slowly lowered herself to a handstand with the beat of the music. Everyone in the audience was about losing their minds, impressed with the fact that she was able to hold and handstand for so long. Eventually, she did a cartwheel and was back on her feet and there was a small sigh of disappointment that she did not land into a split (as Roksana would have typically done). But there was a sense that she was going to pull some kind of stunt; the suspense was thick as the song transitioned to the bridge. 

There was a point where Francis could see that Hua was scanning through the audience, looking for someone.  _ Strange, _ he thought, shifting in his seat. Eventually, Hua's eyes landed on him, much to Francis' surprise, and she smiled.  _ Did she seriously know I would be here? _ Francis asked himself, watching as she looked away and pointed to the wall on her right. Murmurs whipped through the audience, wondering why she was pointing to a blank wall. Francis glanced over to the opposite side of the club where he caught a glimpse of both Roksana and Elektra sitting at the bar, watching at the edge of their seats. 

This had to be it; the moment they all had been waiting for. 

Suddenly, Hua sprinted towards the wall and ran up it about halfway before kicking herself off of it, backflipping into a split. There was no way  _ anyone _ could hear the music now, the cheers and the screams were far too loud. On the other side of the club, Francis could see that Roksana had fallen out of her seat while Elektra started in shock with her jaw dropped. What Hua did was an impressive feat, and it was a stunt Francis had never seen her do before. 

Granted, he never saw her in her early,  _ early _ days before she perfected her brand. 

The song ended, which marked the end of Hua's debut performance. Grinning from ear to ear with pride, she bowed and blew a kiss before turning away to walk backstage. 

"That certainly was something," Arthur said, turning to Francis. He was smiling too, and Francis knew he really liked the show. "You weren't kidding about how talented she is." 

Francis smirked. "Yes, it was quite a show," he said, letting out a heavy sigh. 

"I have to say that I'm surprised that you wanted her back so bad, given you've been so competitive lately," Arthur added. 

"Yes," Francis said, watching Elektra help Roksana back to her feet before they hurried backstage. He shook his head; he really let his ego blind him into thinking that having Hua back would benefit  _ him _ . "I wasn't really thinking." 

No matter how much pain he was in, Yao could put up a good front. But of course, he pulled a muscle in his groin after going into that split, and it made him regret everything about his decision to perform tonight. Not to mention, his feet hurt, begging for him to take off his high heels. He managed to cover his limp as he left the stage, but clung to the railing and the wall as he slowly made his way back to the dressing room. 

Stepping into the dressing room, Yao tripped over himself, and was too exhausted to even try to catch his fall. Just as he thought he was going to meet the cold, dirty tile floor, he felt someone catch him. 

"Holy shit!!!" Feliks exclaimed, helping Yao stand up straight. "Okay, I know we covered a lot, but last time I checked, we never covered running up walls and landing into splits!!! You  _ have _ to teach me!" 

Yao chuckled, moving towards his station, limping. "It was an old move I did a lot when I first started," he explained. "Thought it might come in handy tonight. I had to make the younger crowds think I was interesting." 

"Okay, but you hurt yourself, didn't you?" Feliks asked. He quickly pulled out a chair so that Yao could sit. "What do you need? An ice pack? Where does it hurt?" 

"I'm fine," Yao excused, shooing Feliks away. "Just out of practice. That's all. The pain will be gone tomorrow." 

Feliks shook his head; he wasn't buying it. "I'm gonna go get an ice pack," He looked at Elektra. "Make sure he doesn't move, 'kay?" 

"I'm fine!!!" 

Elektra nodded as Feliks hurried out of the room. "You got it!" she said, giving a thumbs up and a wink. Turning around, she smiled. "I know you're in pain, but it was really impressive what you did out there. I don't know too many people who can do such a heartfelt, beautiful performance and then do a wild dancing routine afterwards." 

"Thanks," Yao said, finally sitting down. He groaned in relief as he slouched in his chair; it felt good to relax. "Your show was fun, too. I don't know too many people who enjoy smashing chairs so much." 

Elektra laughed. "Yeah, and that was tame! Back when I was in Sweden, I did lots of crazy things. I also performed using heavy metal songs instead of glam rock or pop rock." She sighed in nostalgia. "Good times. That's how I met my husband, you know!" 

Yao raised an eyebrow. "You're married?" 

"Mm-hm!" 

"...why?" 

Elektra thought for a moment. "Well, I love him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, because he makes me laugh. And also bakes really good cakes," She giggled and patted her thighs. "Which is probably why I'm so chubby! Are you seeing anyone?" 

"No," Yao said. He paused for a moment, thinking. "That kinda stuff isn’t really for me. I've spent a good chunk of my teenage life raising my brother and sister, then I was away from my family, then I came back to continuing raising my brother and sister when my mother fell ill," He paused. "Not a lot of time to date, really." 

"Hm," Elektra hummed. "I'm sorry you had to be a parent at such a young age." 

Before Yao could reply, Feliks came running back into the dressing room with an ice pack and a box filled with disposable heat patches. "Okay, so, I didn't know what hurt so I just grabbed everything." 

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Yao insisted, sitting up. “Seriously, you’re overreacting.” 

“Remember when I said we can’t have you hurting yourself?” Feliks asked. “Where does it hurt?” 

“It’s just a pulled muscle,” Yao said. “It’ll be better by tomorrow.” 

Feliks gave him a stern look, shaking his head as he set the supplies on the counter. “Pulled muscles are no good,” he said, picking up the ice pack and handing it to Yao. “Trust me; it’s important to take every step to heal.” 

Sighing, Yao took the ice pack from Feliks and placed it where it hurt, hissing at the immediate cold sensation on his leg. Leaning against the counter, Feliks sighed. “I think we’ll take a break from dance lessons for a few days until you’re healed,” he muttered. 

“I. Am. Fine.” Yao said in a stern tone. 

“But hey, that means I get more makeup practice, right?!” Feliks added, cheerfully. 

Yao laughed and nodded. “I suppose so,” 

There was a slight knock at the door and as it opened, Kiku stepped in holding three water bottles. “Sorry for intruding, but I thought everyone might want some water to drink before going out and drinking cocktail after cocktail,” he said, handing everyone a water bottle. Elektra kindly took one of the bottles before walking out of the dressing room. Glancing at Yao, who was still holding onto the ice pack, he sighed. “Shouldn’t have done that split, huh?” 

Yao huffed, blowing his hair out of his face. “No idea what you’re talking about,” he muttered, smiling a bit. 

“Hm,” Kiku hummed. He gave a small smirk before continuing. “Then I suppose you don’t need any help walking home, so I hope you don’t mind if I go home early.” 

Suddenly dropping the water bottle, Feliks panicked a bit. “Wait, no! He’s limping! You can’t just--” he began to ramble. 

“Feliks,” Yao said, gently touching his arm. “He’s joking.” 

“Huh?” He turned to Kiku, who’s smirk had gotten bigger, and looked back at Yao. “He sounded so serious, though.” 

Yao shook his head, smiling. “Trust me, his sense of humor is exceptionally dry,” He stood up, setting the ice pack aside to pick up the water bottle and drank as much water as he could. “So, shall we enjoy the night a little bit before leaving?” 

“Yes!” Feliks cheered. “I’ve been to so many clubs and no one, and I mean  _ no one _ makes drinks as well as Berwald,” he continued as he walked out of the room, with Kiku and Yao following along with him. “I love Antonio, I really do, but I think owning a coffee and tea shop just somehow gives Berwald a leg up. It’s like he was made to make good beverages!” 

Both Yao and Kiku glanced, both smiling, at each other as they followed Feliks back out to the main floor. 

Stepping up to the bar, Francis drummed his fingers on the counter as Berwald finished with another customer. “Did you enjoy the show?” Berwald asked. 

“I certainly did,” Arthur answered, taking the spot next to Francis. “I don’t think I can choose a favorite, though that backflip into a split Hua did was pretty impressive.” 

“I’m biased to Elektra,” Berwald said. “I’ve been a longtime fan of hers.” 

Francis raised his eyebrows. “Elektra? Of all people?” 

Berwald nodded, taking the empty glasses both of them had returned. “Yes. Then again, I’ve seen her perform the most,” He paused, giving Francis a look. “I take it you didn’t like her?” 

Hesitating, Francis forced a smile. “She was interesting,” he said. “I’m not sure I understand the violent destruction of things but--” 

Before Francis could finish his sentence, there was a loud cheer (so loud that it managed to be louder than the loud music and chatter) from the end of the bar. There, Elektra City gave herself a running start as the other patrons stepped back before she jumped onto the counter and slid down to Berwald. Grinning, she wrapped her arms around Berwald’s neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

“Hey,” Elektra said, affectionately. “Missed you!” Berwald only answered with a smile and kissed Elektra’s neck. Giggling, Elektra squished Berwald’s cheeks and pressed her nose against his before turning to see both Arthur and Francis staring in mild confusion. “Oh my gosh!! Arthur! Francis! I didn’t know you guys were coming here tonight!” 

Upon realizing what was going on, Francis smirked and leaned on the counter. “Something  _ told _ me you were a fellow queen, Tiino,” he said. “Though I must say, I wasn’t expecting you to be so…”

“You were amazing, Elektra!” Arthur blurted. “It reminded me of punk days and made me want to go to a concert.” 

Francis froze. “I thought you were a theatre kid,” 

“I was. Punk kids can’t do theatre? Remember, I was a closeted gay kid with a lot of internalized anger and hate?” 

“Oh my gosh, me too!!” Tiino said. “Well, I wasn’t in the closet for very long. I think everyone knew I was gay before I even knew it. But, I was frustrated that I was different from the perceived norm and turned to hiding myself.” 

“Ah, so Elektra must be the embodiment of that,” Francis chimed in.  _ Too easy to figure out _ . He thought to himself, smirking. 

“Huh?” Tiino asked, tilting his head. “Oh! Because I smashed a chair? No, no, I just like smashing things! It’s a good stress reliever, you know.” 

Arthur laughed as Francis frowned, not quite understanding Tiino’s approach to his drag persona and performing. Drag personas were typically an extension of someone’s personality, as well as a representation of who they really were. The fact that Tiino would be someone who liked destroying furniture, among other things, and being fairly reckless was strange to think about. His personality out of drag was so drastically different that Francis had a hard time trying to understand why on  _ earth _ Tiino would choose such a style. 

“Berwald!!!” 

With quick speed, Feliks jumped up onto the counter next to Tiino and grinned. “Could I get that drink? You know, the one? I forgot the name of it. But you know the one, right? The drinky-drink?” 

Smiling, Berwald nodded. “Sure,” he answered, quickly getting to work. “And what about your friends here? What can I get you two?” 

Looking around his partner, Francis saw both Yao and Kiku stepping up to the bar. He noticed that Yao was limping a little bit, and shook his head, knowing that his friend had been a little too ambitious tonight. “Good evening, Yao!” he greeted, with a small wave. 

Turning his head at the sound of his name, Yao grimaced. “Ugh,” he groaned. 

“It was so lovely to see you perform again. You always bring such artistry to the stage,” He paused, looking to Kiku. “How long has it been since I’ve seen you, Kiku? It’s good to see you!” 

Taking in a quick breath, striving for patience already, Kiku nodded and forced a polite smile. “Hello, Francis. How have you been?” he said. 

“Good!” Francis stepped around Arthur so he could stand closer to everyone else to carry on the conversation. “Everyone did such a great job tonight! I  _ really _ enjoyed the show!” 

“Um,” Arthur interrupted. He glared at Francis, knowing full and well that he was lying. Francis gave him a look, silently telling him to keep his mouth shut. Arthur cleared his throat and finished his sentence: “It was a very good show.” 

“Ah, Francis, I thought you hated my performance,” Tiino said. He didn’t seem to be offended as he said it; he just said it nonchalantly and shrugged. 

“What?!” Francis gasped. “What gave you that idea?!” 

Feliks snorted. “He  _ definitely _ hated it,” he said as Berwald handed him his drink. “He probably hated mine too.” 

“It’s just the way you were talking about it, that’s all,” Tiino added. 

“For the record, I did not  _ hate _ Elektra’s performance. It...was very different and put me out of my comfort zone,” Francis said, defensive. 

“You can just say you didn’t like it,” Tiino mentioned in a low voice. “No need to lie.” 

“And Roksana, your performance was very nice. It was slightly different from your usual stunts, which is good to see that you really are versatile. When you want to be, that is.” Francis added. 

Rolling his eyes, Feliks took a sip of his drink before setting it down beside him. “Do you know how to give compliments without being snide about it?” he asked. “Just say you were surprised that I have other talents. Which I don’t know why you’d be surprised but--”

Francis ignored him. “And Hua, your performance was beautiful as ever. It was probably my favorite one out of the--”

“Stop trying to kiss ass,” Yao blurted before Francis could finish his statement. Francis froze and stared in shock. Yao rolled his eyes and shook his head. “If you think for a second, I don’t know what you’re doing, Francis Bonnefoy, you must really think I’m an idiot, which I do not appreciate,” He gave Francis a glare and crossed his arms against his chest. “Don’t give me that look. You can be disappointed that your little plan didn’t work all you want, but don’t pretend like we all don’t know what you’ve been up to.” 

Francis gulped, looking away for a moment. He had to think quickly to attempt to shrug off Yao’s cutting comments.  _ I should’ve known that Yao would have seen through my idea easily. _ He thought to himself. Taking a deep breath, he smiled. “You should be thanking me, Yao. You wouldn’t have stepped back on that stage if it weren’t for me bringing up the idea to you.” 

Tiino leaned to Feliks’ ear. “What’s going on?” he asked. “I’m lost,” 

“Don’t worry,” Feliks replied. “I’ll explain later.” 

“ _ Of course _ you’re going to make this about you. You only did it because you wanted me to help you diminish competition, because you’re not much competition yourself,” Yao said. “Either of these two queens here could  _ demolish _ you in  _ any _ performance. But sure, try to say this was you looking out for me, even though we haven’t spoken in  _ years _ .” 

“Y-Yao, come on,” Francis stammered. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. Six years had passed and he still didn’t quite understand what it was that happened between them. “Look, Yao, I’m sorry for whatever happened between us. And yeah, maybe I came across this with--”

“You know what, I’ve changed my mind. I’m not putting up with this; not while I’m in pain,” Yao said to Kiku before turning away. “I think I’m gonna head home early. My feet are killing me, anyway,” He then looked to Feliks and Tiino. “I’ll see you two again soon, I’m sure.” 

“Yao, wait!” Francis called after him, but it was already too late. He and Kiku were already walking away, Tiino and Feliks were engaged in their own conversation, ignoring him, and Francis could tell that Arthur was tired and ready to go home. Feeling defeated, Francis sighed and linked his arm with Arthur’s. “You know that I’m well intentioned, right?” 

Arthur hesitated before he spoke. “Francis, you know that I love you,” he said. 

Waiting for him to finish, Francis stared at him before realizing he wasn’t going to say anything else. “Is there a conclusion to that sentence,  _ mon chou _ ?” 

“Just know that I love you,” Arthur said, smiling. They turned around and Arthur led the way to the exit without saying goodbye to anyone else. “But if you must know, I do think you’re being ridiculous in this moment and time.” 

Knowing he was right, Francis kept quiet. They stepped outside and were greeted by the crisp, chilly air, sending a shiver down Francis’ spine. He wanted to explain to Arthur that he really was coming from a good place, it was just that his jealousy seemed to plague everything lately. It was poison to his heart, and jealousy was clouding his judgement. The two of them were quiet on the walk home, feeling too uncomfortable to discuss all that had occurred. Sometimes silence was what was best for the time being. Once settled back in their apartment, they went to bed right away, quietly kissing each other goodnight before turning the lights off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Yes, I'm late again with a chapter update! I'm sorry! Life is weird. 
> 
> First! I'd like to kinda explain my idea of Tiino and his character. So...you know that one scene in Monsters University where the mom drops off the kids, tells them to have fun and then turns on heavy metal music? That's Tiino Väinämöinen to me. So by day, he's a cheery, unsuspecting guy who wears sweater vests and whatnot, and by night, he'll put on heavy makeup and metal music to get ready to perform as Elektra (Finland is home to a lot of metal bands, after all). I don't know if this is as funny as it is in my head, but it's pretty funny to me. 
> 
> Second, Yao and his drag character. He can do it all, really, and then some. Yao's/Hua's strengths are artsy, meticulously planned, sometimes thought-provoking performances, of course, but he'll be experimenting more with high energy performances this time around. 
> 
> If you're interested in the songs I had in mind while writing each performance, the list is as follows (these are songs from my personal music library and such): 
> 
> Roksana's performance:  
> If You Want Her - MARUV  
> Focus on Me - MARUV 
> 
> Elektra's performance:  
> STFU! - Rina Sawayama  
> Sugarbaby - Morningwood  
> (Yes, I'm aware these songs are not heavy metal songs; they are rock songs. It was done on purpose because Tiino knows most people would not like the music he listens to on a daily basis)
> 
> Hua's performance:  
> Euphoria - Loreen  
> Replay - Lady Gaga 
> 
> Again, I apologize for the delayed update. This was kind of a big chapter, and me being a perfectionist, was kind scared to upload it for some reason. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, critiques are welcome! If you would like to help support this story, you can "buy me a Ko-Fi" here: https://ko-fi.com/violinia I don't know 100% when the next update will be because of the holidays. I know I'm usually pretty good with my schedule, but things have been weird lately. 
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> ~Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Twitter: @kviolinia  
> Tumblr: @bonnefoys


	11. Amateur Photoshoot

_ London, England _

_ October 2001 _

Yao awoke in the middle of the night to his baby brother crying in the other room. Like clockwork, his brother would cry at 3:30 in the morning, and no matter how many times he tried to wake his mother, Yao was always the one to deal with it. Drowsy, he climbed out of his bed and first went to his mother’s room to find her sound asleep. 

He couldn’t completely fault her for wanting to sleep. She was the mother of two now and was running a restaurant all by herself. Everyday, she collapsed in her bed due to exhaustion. It didn’t help that the man she was dating only seemed to come around when he was semi-drunk, and Yao was old enough to piece together what he really wanted from his mother. Yao didn’t really like the man his mother was dating because he couldn’t even stick around to help take care of his newborn son. 

Gently shaking his mother’s shoulder, Yao tried to wake her up. “Mama,” he whispered. No response. “Mama, Li-Xiao’s crying again,” Again, no response. “Mama, please.” When she still gave no response, Yao sighed and turned, making his way to his brother’s room. 

Li-Xiao’s crying had gotten louder the longer someone didn’t come to comfort him. “Shhh,” Yao hushed as he picked up his brother. “It’s okay, I’m here. You’re okay.” Carrying his brother to the kitchen, doing his best to quietly prepare a bottle as his mother had taught him after Li-Xiao was born. It was a science preparing the formula and making sure it was at the right temperature, and Yao had perfected the process. Once the bottle was ready, Yao sat down in the living room as he fed his little brother, relieved that the crying came to an end. 

There wasn’t much to do as Li-Xiao drank the formula but to simply sit quietly still and stare at the clock, wishing that he was getting the extra minutes of sleep instead of being awake. Despite still being a child himself, it was almost expected of him to parent and raise his little brother just as much as it was expected of his mother to do so. 

Except, the majority of the responsibility had fallen in Yao’s lap. 

Li Xiao had finished the bottle and Yao laid him over his shoulder and patted his back, muttering: “Don’t spit up, please don’t spit up, please, please, please,” over and over until his brother burped. Sighing, he stood and made his way back to his brother’s room, putting him back down in the crib. As Yao began to walk away, Li-Xiao started to cry again, resulting in a groan from Yao as he turned around to pick him up again. “Okay, okay,” he grumbled, swaying a bit to help his brother fall back asleep. It took about 10 minutes for the baby to be asleep, making Yao take the opportunity to quickly lay his brother down and hurry back to his room so he could go back to sleep. 

“Yao,” 

Stopping in the doorway, Yao turned around to see his mother standing in the hallway. She was quiet for a moment, keeping her head down, silently apologizing for not waking up soon enough. “How long?” she asked. 

“What?” Yao replied. 

“How long,” she repeated. “How long have you been doing this?” 

Hesitant, Yao glanced at his brother’s room and took a deep breath. “I don’t know,” he answered. “But it’s fine.” 

His mother nodded. “Wake me up next time,” 

“I tried. I always try to.” 

“I know, but, keep trying until I do. Okay?” 

Yao looked away, trying not to roll his eyes. He had tried numerous times, but her relentless exhaustion kept her asleep. When he didn’t reply, his mother sighed. 

“I  _ promise _ I will wake up next time,” she said. “Please be patient with me, Yao,” 

Yao thought carefully before he responded. There was so much he wanted to say, like how he wished she’d pay attention to the fact that they were no longer close as they once were. He wished she’d stop seeing that man who clearly used her for money and sex. He wished she would stop working herself so much. He wished she’d be his mother again. 

Eventually, he nodded. “Okay,” he said, closing the door behind him. Finally climbing back into bed, Yao laid on his side, staring at the clock. 

04:30. Only a few more hours until he had to be awake to go to school. 

Groaning, Yao rolled over to his other side and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would find him quickly. 

“Did you actually finish the homework already?” Kiku asked. 

After school, the two of them usually went to Kiku’s room to do their schoolwork, laying on the floor listening to music. It was the only time Yao had space away from his family, and so he did as much as he could to ensure that he could find some peace and quiet before returning home. 

“Yeah, I did most of it in study hall,” Yao answered. “I just have to do the reading for literature class.” 

Kiku sighed. “Okay, well, can I see your math homework? I’m stuck on 4-a.” 

“Which one is that?” Yao asked, reaching for his math notebook. 

“Uh, the one with 5 (- 3 x - 2) - (x - 3) = - 4 (4 x + 5) + 13?” 

Flipping through multiple pages of homework, he finally found the problem he was looking for. “Oh yeah, that one was a pain in the ass. Took me forever to figure it out, but I got it,” he said. “Okay, so what you need to do is--”

“Just let me look at it,” Kiku interrupted. 

“What? No, you’re just going to copy! I can help you with it.”

“I’m about halfway through the problem, I’m just stuck in this one spot. If I see your answer--”

“That’s copying!”

“Right, like you didn’t copy my history homework yesterday,” Kiku muttered under his breath. 

Yao thought for a moment before tossing his notebook at Kiku. “Fine, do what you want,” he said, standing up. He reached back into his bag and pulled out a few makeup items he had borrowed from his mother’s room and a compact mirror. “Don’t blame me if you don’t do well when we have the test next week.” 

Kiku laughed and rolled his eyes. “Why are you repeating what I said to you yesterday?” 

Smudging black pencil eyeliner on his eyelid, Yao chose to ignore Kiku’s question, focusing on getting the eyeliner even. Kiku shook his head as he compared his work with Yao’s, trying to see where he went wrong in his work. “Won’t your mom get mad at you again for wearing makeup?” Kiku eventually asked. 

“She doesn’t even pay attention to me anymore, she’s not gonna know,” Yao replied. 

Hesitant, Kiku stared at Yao. “Moms know everything. She’s gonna know.” 

“She’s not gonna kn--”

“She’s gonna know,” 

Smudging the eyeliner to create a smokier look, Yao sighed. “She’s not gonna know. She can’t even be bothered to pay attention to the baby she gave birth to a few months ago. You think she’ll be bothered to pay attention if I have a  _ tiny _ bit of makeup on?” 

“I mean, she did last week when you tried,” Kiku mentioned, shrugging. “But I won’t stop you, I suppose.” 

As Kiku got back to work, Yao watched him for a moment before smiling to himself as he opened the lipstick. “We should do something fun,” he said. 

“Don’t think about it,” Kiku replied. 

“What?!” Yao hissed. “I didn’t even say anything!” 

Kiku looked up from his homework. “Oh, didn’t you know? I can read minds,” 

“Yeah, and what was I going to say?” 

“You were going to ask if you could put eyeliner and lipstick on me, and I’m not gonna put up with that today.” 

The room went silent for a moment as they stared at each other, Yao somewhat shocked that Kiku  _ really _ knew what he was thinking. It wasn’t a new occurrence, because they had been friends for so long and Kiku was the most observant person he knew. But it didn’t stop the initial shock when his friend got it right as to what he was thinking. 

Not to mention, Yao had been wanting to put makeup on his best friend for weeks now, and was hoping Kiku would finally let him do it. 

“So, you’re not gonna put up with it today, but will you put up with it tomorrow?” Yao asked, trying his luck. 

Kiku hesitated before answering. “Ask me tomorrow,” he then said, putting his attention back down to his schoolwork. 

Sighing, Yao laid down on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. “That’s Kiku-Code for no,” he muttered. 

It became quiet once again in the room as Kiku diligently worked on his homework as Yao closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Closing his math textbook and rummaging through his bag to find the assigned book for literature class, Kiku glanced at his sleeping friend, feeling a bit of sadness tug at his heart. Their friendship seemed to remain strong, as it always had, but with the arrival of Yao’s new brother, he had noticed a change in his dear friend. Though still quite stubborn but cheerful, Yao seemed to be going through some sort of emotional change. Perhaps it was simply exhaustion from having a baby brother crying constantly in the middle of the night, or it was the drifting apart from his mother that made him seem so different lately. 

“Are you alright?” Kiku asked. 

Yao opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Kiku. “Huh?”

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

Closing his book, Kiku pondered for a moment. “It’s just, I dunno, you’ve been different lately.” 

“Different?” 

“Yeah. I don’t know how to really describe it, but, is everything alright at home?” 

Turning away, Yao took a deep breath and sighed heavily. “It depends upon how you define ‘alright,’” he said. “It’s hard to do the things everyone else does when your mom expects you to take care of  _ her _ baby.” 

“Did she say that?” Kiku asked.

“No, but she doesn’t have to,” Yao replied. “I honestly don’t know what she does when I’m at school. She can hardly keep up with the business of the restaurant  _ and _ take care of the baby. On weekends, I have babysitting duty,” He sighed. “I can’t believe it, but I actually miss working at the restaurant.”

“How come?” 

Yao shrugged before sitting up. “Because it meant I didn’t have to grow up so fast and take care of a kid, I guess,” He pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. “She has so many expectations of me, you know? Help with the restaurant, do well in school, take care of my brother, clean the house, memorize a hundred recipes, pick up after her...I have to do it all. And it’s not like she tells me to do it all; she doesn’t have to. The expectation is just  _ there _ , I can feel it.” 

Kiku thought for a moment, thinking of what would be the best thing to say to reassure him. “You know she tries really hard, right? She’s a single mother, just like my mom, and I’m sure having Li-Xiao was unexpected. I don’t think she means to expect you to be able to do  _ everything _ . Give her time until she gets her footing again,” 

“Why are you defending her?” Yao asked.

“I’m not, I’m just trying to help you see a different side of things,” Kiku clarified. 

“You mean to tell me  _ your _ mom doesn’t have high expectations of you? To help run the art shop and all?” 

“My mom and your mom are different people,” Kiku stated. He paused, thinking. “Would you like to sleep over tonight? If you’re up every night because of the crying, maybe you could use some rest.” 

“She’s not--”

Kiku quickly stood up and smiled. “I’ll ask her. I’ll say we have a project to work on together,” 

Yao laughed, looking away. “Sure,” he said, laying back down. “That just might work.” 

Nodding, Kiku hurried out of the room and down the steps that led to the exit, switched out of his slippers to his shoes before rushing outside to step into his mother’s shop. He gave her a quick explanation of what was happening, and with her okay, Kiku then ran across the street to ask Yao’s mother. 

The restaurant was busy, as it usually was at the dinner hour. It was warm inside, and the room was filled with chatter of numerous conversations being held at once. Kiku was greeted by Meixiu, who had her child in a wrap against her chest. He could tell she looked exhausted, even more exhausted than Yao, and he politely greeted her back. “Good afternoon, Miss Wang,” he said. 

“Hello, Kiku,” she replied, forcing a smile. “Where’s Yao?” 

“He’s still at my place,” he explained. “I was wondering, and I already asked my mom, if it would be okay if Yao slept over tonight. We have a huge project to finish today.” 

Meixiu looked down at her son who was sound asleep against her chest and affectionately pushed his wispy baby hair back. “Yao’s really tired, isn’t he?” she asked, catching on right away. She kissed Li-Xiao’s forehead, with her hair falling over her shoulder, draping over her son like a protective curtain. 

“Huh?” Kiku replied, playing dumb. 

“He hasn’t been sleeping well, and it’s my fault. I’ve been so tired that I can’t wake up in the middle of the night when Li-Xiao cries. And Yao has such a big heart that he takes care of it instead of waking me up,” she continued. “I’m fine with Yao sleeping over at your place, Kiku. Tell him to come pick up a change of clothes for tomorrow as well as his toiletries.” she finished, turning away. 

“Uh...oh-okay, Miss Wang. Thank you!” Kiku said before turning around to step out of the restaurant. Hurrying back to his home, Kiku found Yao sitting at the top of the stairs leading up to the apartment. He looked down at him in anticipation, waiting for Kiku’s news. “She said that you should go grab a change of clothes and your toiletries,” 

Yao raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?” he asked, smiling uncontrollably. He ran down the stairs and put his shoes back on. Pulling Kiku in for a brief hug, he then opened the door and looked over his shoulder. “Thank you!” 

Kiku watched as his friend ran across the street as the door slowly closed, smiling to himself. The door clicked shut as he slipped his feet out of his shoes and put his slippers back on before quietly making his way back up to the apartment. 

_ Present Day _

“Hey, so I’ve been thinking,” Feliks said. 

Sitting in the living room of Feliks’ and Tolys apartment, Yao leaned back in his seat, sensing that Feliks had yet  _ another _ wacky idea. It was a daily occurrence at this point with Feliks blurting whatever was on his mind in the moment, leaving Yao wondering if he ever had a filter. 

“What do you think of a style swap?” he concluded. 

“A style swap?” 

“Yeah! It would be fun to swap styles with another queen and perform like them, right?” Feliks clarified. “I still haven’t figured out the logistics, but it could be fun to do a completely different style or aesthetic.” 

Yao chuckled. “Well, who are you thinking of while you’re brainstorming this grand idea?” 

Feliks shrugged, tapping out the cream contour shade he had placed on his nose with a beauty sponge. “Everyone, I guess,” he replied. “Though, it’d be pretty funny seeing Francis swap styles with Tiino. Don’t you think?” 

“That would never happen,” Yao said, with a heavy sigh. “Francis is stubborn, but acts like he isn’t.” 

“He sure is stubborn,” Feliks sighed, nodding his head. “But, I think it’s easy to solve; we just pick names out of a hat! I even have a trick up my sleeve!” he concluded, with a wink. 

Raising his eyebrows, Yao smirked. “And what’s this trick?” 

“ _ Weeeellll _ , if you  _ must _ know! I was thinking that you and I would switch, and Francis and Tiino would switch, right? The only way to get Francis on board with it is to make it  _ seem _ like it’s random,” Feliks set the beauty sponge down and reached for a brush. “We have him pick first, and from then, it’s pretty much decided. Tiino and Francis would swap, and you and I would swap.” 

“But if there are four names in there…” Yao began. 

“Oh, we’re only going to have Elektra’s name in there,” Feliks said, with a grin. “‘Cause we only need one person to pick from the bunch, and we’ll make Francis pick first.” 

Yao laughed. “Oh, you wanna be sneaky. I see.” he stated. “Well, that’s probably the only way we can get Francis on board is to play dirty.” 

“Given that Francis plays dirty all the time, we gotta fight fire with fire, right?” He leaned back in his chair and turned to face Yao. He smiled, proud of his work. “What do you think? I think I have this contouring thing down!” 

“Looks good,” Yao agreed, smiling. Fortunately, Feliks deemed to be a quick learner, which made Yao’s life much easier. There had been plenty of queens who he taught who were at a loss with makeup at times. Granted, Feliks didn’t have the stubbornness that a lot of others did when it came to learning. He was honest with himself that his makeup skills weren’t that great to begin with and was eager to learn. When someone wasn’t open to learning, it made the process that much more difficult. 

“You’re going to be a pro in no time,” Yao added, picking up his mirror to look at the work he had done. Naturally, as all lessons went, he had practiced the contour alongside Feliks. But of course, he had finished the simple step before, and went on ahead with experimenting with other ideas he had swirling in his head. A mixture of reds, golds and oranges, Yao had all but painted a sunrise all over his face. 

Feliks laughed. “Here you sit, saying I’ll be a pro, while you’ve painted a masterpiece all over yourself. Take a picture and put it in the museum already!” 

Still staring at himself in the mirror, Yao chuckled. “It’s nothing like what I envisioned, though. I’m still out of practice.” 

“Out of practice?!” Feliks shouted, shocked. “Do you see yourself right now?!” 

Brushing some of his hair out of his face, Yao finally set the mirror down and sighed. “Yes, and honestly, I could’ve blended some of these colors more. Smoked out the edges…” He continued to ramble on and on about how his work was imperfect while Feliks stared at him, dumbfounded. 

“It literally looks flawless,” Feliks eventually interrupted. He turned to glance at the clock on the wall above their TV and groaned. “Aw, I guess lessons are over.” 

Yao looked over at the clock as well and noticed that it was 15 minutes past noon. He quickly stood up, frantic, knowing that he was already late for the lunch rush. Actually, he was late to  _ open _ the restaurant. 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Yao asked Feliks. He tried to gather his belongings into his bag in a panic. 

“Huh?” Feliks asked. He glanced at the clock again and the reality of what time it was finally sunk in. “Oh  _ shit _ , the restaurant!!” He stood up and tried to help Yao as much as he could. “I’m sorry, I lost track of time and--” 

“We both lost track,” Yao stated. “I shouldn’t take my anger out on you, I’m sorry. I’m frustrated with myself.” He pulled out his cellphone to check if there were messages from Kiku or not. There was nothing, which made Yao even more concerned. Grabbing his jacket, Yao made sure to put the hood up to cover his face for a bit; it’d be embarrassing to walk around the city with a  _ sunset  _ painted on your face. 

“Would a car be faster?” Feliks asked, trying to be helpful. “I know you’re still having issues with that pulled muscle. Tolys is still in his home office so I could ask to borrow the car,” 

“With lunch traffic? No, probably not,” Yao answered, making his way to the door. “Thank you, though. I’m sorry to leave in such a rush.” 

“I’m sorry I made you so late!” Feliks said. He leaned in the doorway as Yao stepped out of the flat and made his way for the stairwell. “We’ll talk later, yeah? About the style swap?” 

“Yes! Call me!” Yao hollered as he was already halfway down the stairwell. 

“Uh, yeah, no, I’ll just DM you!” 

Running out of the apartment building, Yao found that it was moderately raining.  _ Typical. Of course it’s going to rain when I have to sprint somewhere _ . He thought himself while still standing under the old, green tattered cloth awning that led to the building’s entrance. Taking a deep breath, he made sure the hood covered the majority of his face so that it wouldn’t immediately ruin his hard work. Counting to three, Yao pushed through the pain and started running in the direction of the restaurant, hoping he wouldn’t slip and fall. 

When he arrived at the restaurant, he was relieved to see that it was open and there were hardly any customers sitting at the tables for the time being. Hurrying through the small alley, Yao entered through the back entrance, which led to the kitchen first. Kiku was already there, keeping the pots and pans warm on the stoves. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Yao said, slightly out of breath. 

Looking up, Kiku shrugged, unphased that Yao was several minutes late. “We’ve only had one order so far, and it was carryout,” he mentioned, nonchalantly. “I was more worried that I hadn’t heard from you,” He paused, smiling. “Are you going to take pictures of your work?” 

“Huh?” Yao replied, carefully peeling his damp jacket off. Shaking off the access water, he then hung it up on the rack to be sure it would dry. Thankfully, the restaurant was warm, and he would warm up in a matter of time. “No, I need to run up to the apartment and wash this off.” 

“It’s the first time you’ve done something creative and you’re not going to show it off?” Kiku asked. 

“...yeah?” 

Sighing, Kiku held his hand above one of the woks to see how hot it was. “It’s very unlike you. If you’re returning to drag, old fans are going to want to know what you’ve been up to. They might like what you’ve done.” 

“But it’s not good,” Yao said, walking to the door that led to the restaurant to double check that no one was waiting for a seat. “I can’t show off mediocre work.” 

“You have a literal  _ sunset _ on your face,” Kiku pointed out, crossing his arms against his chest. “Mondays are usually slow. We can close up for 30 minutes, go up to the apartment and I can take pictures…”

“It’s  _ not _ good,” Yao insisted. His perfectionist side was showing. 

The kitchen fell quiet for a moment as the two of them stared at each other. Kiku was the first to look away, smirking as if he already knew what was to happen. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction, Yao cleared his throat and turned away for a moment. When he couldn’t bear the silence anymore, he gave in.

“ _ Fine _ . I’ll switch the sign to ‘closed’ and we’ll take pictures. But we have to do it in 10 minutes. I don’t want to lose any more money we’ve lost by opening late,” he said, making his way to the front of the restaurant. 

Kiku followed him, shaking his head. “We won’t lose money when there’s no customers because it’s a slow day,” he muttered under his breath. 

Once the restaurant was closed and they were in the apartment, Yao sat down on the bed, brushing through his hair and touching up his makeup while Kiku tinkered with the camera settings on Yao’s phone. When asked what he was doing, Kiku replied: 

“If you use the right settings, there’s no need to add any filters or Facetune to make the picture better.” 

And so the photoshoot began. Striking different poses, Yao was suddenly feeling nostalgic for his university days where he truly began doing drag. He could remember the smell of his old musty dorm room, the stiff mattress that he hardly slept on, and the chatter of the young women from down the hall. In the back of his mind, he could see the king size sheet that he hung on the wall so that when he took pictures for his newly developed Instagram, he had a decent enough backdrop. Kiku was always the one taking pictures for him because he was a much better photographer than Yao ever could be. 

Just as before, Yao lost track of time, and instead of only 10 minutes passing by, 45 minutes had passed by when he looked at his alarm clock. “Kiku!” Yao shouted, jumping off of his bed. “I said ten minutes!!” 

Kiku glanced at the clock before turning his attention to swiping and deleting the “bad” photos. “We didn’t get ‘The One.’ Besides, you were enjoying yourself and I didn’t want to ruin the moment.” 

“Well, do we have ‘The One?’” Yao asked, standing behind Kiku to look over his shoulder. “Ew, delete that one,” 

Kiku paused, turning around. “I thought that one was good,” 

“We’ve been over this, pictures taken from my left look awful,” Yao clarified. 

“Then why did you pose like that?” Kiku asked, swiping to the next picture. 

“You told me to!” 

“You don’t have to listen to me. In fact, you  _ don’t _ listen to me, half of the time,” 

Kiku swiped through a few more photos before Yao stopped him and snatched the phone from his hands. “This is it,” Yao said. “This is ‘The One!’” He paused. “Wait, how do I upload to Instagram again?” 

Kiku groaned, smiling slightly. He never understood how his friend, who grew up in the same time era as him, was so  _ bad _ with technology. “You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?” He took the phone away from Yao and in a few seconds, he had the picture ready to be uploaded. “All that’s missing is a caption. Got anything witty to say?” 

Yao thought for a few seconds, looking at the somewhat bored pose of the photo before coming to a conclusion. “Miss me?” 

Nodding, Kiku smiled. “Perfect,” he said, typing the caption in. And just like that, the photo was uploaded on the popular social media platform, making Yao sigh with relief. 

“Now that that’s over,” he said, walking out of his room. “I’m going to wash this off of my face while you go back down and open the restaurant again. We have a lot of catching up to do.” 

Shaking his head with a smile, Kiku tossed Yao’s phone onto the bed before walking out of the room and making his way out of the apartment. 

Life was feeling a bit like their university days again, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, he hadn’t realized how much they silently missed it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! 
> 
> I hope everyone is doing well and had a wonderful holiday season! I took a little break over the holiday season to try to catch up on writing. I also took some time off since I really haven't had a full vacation since, well, last January. Now that I've taken some time off from work and social media, I've been reading for leisure again (something I really need to do more often anyway to keep my writing up to par), writing, and just relaxing. I've also concluded that my New Year's resolution is going to be self-discipline. 2020 was such a whirlwind, and I want 2021 to be a healing year if you will. And that involves me distancing myself from social media a bit and doing what I want to do. 
> 
> Will I be successful in that? Who knows. We'll see. 
> 
> Anyway, I apologize again for the delayed update. We have a relatively long chapter with a flashback so we can kinda start putting some pieces together about Yao and his past. In case you couldn't tell already, I know the summary talks more about Francis, but this story is really going to be more Yao's story, if anything. There are a lot of side characters, I know, but since Yao is a newer character in this story, we gotta focus more on him. 
> 
> Besides, Francis is just a cranky baby. We can ignore him for a bit. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any critiques or comments, feel free to leave them down below! If there are any errors, please let me know! I always read the comments and do my best to reply to them! The next update will hopefully be in a few weeks! I know the schedule is wonky at the moment, but I'm hoping to get back on track now that it's the new year. 
> 
> See you soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Tumblr: @bonnesfoys  
> Twitter: @kviolinia


	12. Chat Boxes

Class was nearly over when a notification lit up Francis’ phone right in the middle of his lecture. Foolishly, he paused to glance at it mid sentence.

**_misshuali_ ** _has made a new post! Be the first to like it!_

Attempting to discreetly unlock his phone and do just as Instagram said, he saw a student raising their hand in his peripheral. 

“Professor Bonnefoy?” 

Looking up, he saw that it was Emil, Leon’s snarky friend who was _obviously_ going to make a snide comment about how they weren’t supposed to be looking at their phones in class. He slipped his phone in his pocket and drew his attention back to his powerpoint presentation. “Yes, Emil?” Francis said. 

“I thought there wasn’t to be any phone use in class,” Emil stated in a flat tone. 

Francis closed his eyes, striving for patience. _Too obvious_ . He thought to himself. Students just _loved_ being snarky when they caught professors breaking their own rules they had put in place. “Sorry, I’m expecting an important message,” he lied, putting on a polite smile. “Forgive me for interrupting class.” he added, turning to the projector screen. 

“I’ll do my best,” Emil said. 

Pausing, Francis looked over at his student again, slightly perturbed. Emil had a dry sense of humor, and from time to time, enjoyed being obnoxious about it. Francis wished he could meet the kids family just to figure out where he got that snarky behavior from. “I’m sorry?” 

“I said I’ll do my best,” Emil repeated. He was fighting a smirk. “To forgive you for interrupting class.” 

Francis put his hands on his hips and smirked. “Except, _now_ who’s interrupting the class with his snarky remarks?” 

Emil shrugged and slouched in his chair without saying anything at first. “You don’t have to acknowledge my comments,” 

“Do you find this amusing, Emil?” 

“Not particularly,” 

Sighing, he decided to move on and go back to his lecture. “Alright, as I was _saying_ , these are the developmental stages of the human mind. Before we go into each of them in full detail, which do you think is most vital?” 

As always, the classroom went silent, and it was at this time when Francis realized how _cold_ the room felt. Not physically, but by attitude; none of his students wanted to be there. As was typical in a 101 class. 

Taking a deep breath, Francis moved to lean against the front of the desk and crossed his arms. “How about this: how many of you like watching crime shows? Particularly ones about serial killers?” 

Nearly every student raised their hand.

“Good, good. And what is a common theme throughout those shows, hm? How did these people become that way?” he continued. 

Leon raised his hand. “It usually has to do with their childhood and the relationship with their parents, correct?” he answered. 

Francis smiled. “Very good,” he said in a cheery voice. “So, with that in mind, what stage of life has a pretty huge impact on us as we develop?” 

“Our childhood,” the majority of the class said at once. 

“Yes, our childhood is what really shapes us,” Francis said, standing up. _Thank you for_ finally _paying attention and participating_. He thought to himself as he moved behind the small kiosk to switch slides. “Even if there are things we believe are insignificant, they could play a huge factor as to why we are the way we are today. Now, the readings for our next class are already in the syllabus, and I expect you all to read the passages and take notes, okay? I’d like our next class to be more of a discussion rather than a lecture, understood?” 

There was a collective murmur amongst the class, a mutual “ugh, if we have to” response as everyone began collecting their things. Watching as they slowly made their way to leave the room, Francis pulled out his phone and shouted over the loud chatter: 

“Don’t forget, you have a paper due within a week! It’s important for you to not get behind!” 

Just like that, the room was empty and Francis was at peace to finally check his phone. Tapping on the notification, he was immediately taken to the first post Yao had made in years, and was taken aback at how beautiful the picture was. There, Hua sat on her bed, with one leg bent upwards with her elbow resting on her kneecap. Her hand rested against her jaw and she was looking to the side, almost looking a little bored. Naturally, she had her face painted for the gods. 

_Miss me?_

The post already had thousands of likes on it and hundreds of comments were flooding in. Fans of Hua from all over were gushing about her return to the social media platform, asking if everything was alright and how worried they were about if something bad happened to her. Francis took some times to read the comments:

**_karmakameleon_ ** _: it’s so good to see you! where’ve you’ve been? looking flawless as always!_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: oooooooohhhhhhh!!!!! gorgeous!!! so good to meet you the other night! looking forward to working with you in the future!_

 **_aquafinaeviandasani_ ** _: heard you killed it the other night at_ **_lyst_ ** _! thank you for filling in for me! perhaps we can meet face to face another time!_

 **_roksanaspiergoi_ ** _: BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!!_ 😘😘 _you’re everything i aspire to be!!!_

 **_izzywannabeme_ ** _: omg! she’s alive! where’ve you been, you shady bitch? missed you!_

Francis smiled as he read each comment, happy that Yao was being welcomed back to the community with open arms. Despite his selfish reasons for wanting Yao back, he truly did want Yao to return to the community that loved him most. Francis didn’t know much about Yao’s immediate family, but upon first meeting him, he knew there was a rocky relationship. Back then, Yao considered his drag family his real family for a while, which made it even more confusing as to why he, seemingly, left so suddenly. 

Francis slowly walked back to his office with his belongings, thinking of what he would write down for a comment. He had to extend the olive branch, and truly work towards repairing their friendship. They couldn’t go on bickering like this. 

**_themiragevoila_ ** _: as always, you look absolutely flawless! hope to talk to you soon!_ 😘

Hopefully, that would be enough to start a calm and peaceful conversation, eventually. 

“A _what_ now?” Ludwig asked. 

As always, Ludwig Beilschmidt’s office was neatly organized, smelled clean and of fresh bergamot, and was a sensible 19 degrees Celsius. The amount of times both Feliks and Tolys sat in his office, they never _once_ saw it dirty or disorganized. If one thing was out of place, briefly, was because Feliciano had misplaced it. Of course, Ludwig took care of it immediately, rambling under his breath how he wished Feliciano would take notice of how he has things organized in _his_ office. 

Despite the rigid organization, Ludwig’s office felt warm and welcoming, in a way. Making the couple feeling comfortable about approaching him with anything. 

“A style swap!” Feliks clarified, cheerfully. “Four queens will swap styles with each other and perform as the other queen’s style. It could be a little contest too! The audience can vote who did it best and the winner gets a small reward!” 

Listening intently, Ludwig nodded. “I suppose I understand,” he said in a low voice. “This has nothing to do with the little tiff between you and Francis, does it?” 

Feliks leaned back in his chair and scoffed. “Francis who? I literally don’t care about him. This is an idea I came up with other friends!” 

“You know I can tell when you’re lying, right?” Ludwig added, sighing. “When do you suppose we try this little style swap contest you’re proposing?” 

Feliks shrugged. “Hmm, how about the week Hua is supposed to perform? Or the week after?” 

Ludwig nodded again and wrote something down on a sticky note. “Yes, the week after is free. Who will be participating in this style swap?” 

“I’ll ask around, but I was thinking Hua, Elektra, Mirage and yours truly,” Feliks said with a smirk. 

“And the reward?” 

“Hmmmmm, well you know I’m bad with numbers,” Feliks looked to his right where his boyfriend was sitting. “What do you think, Tolys? £1,000 for second place and £2,000 for first place?” 

“Do you think we’re just made of money?!” Ludwig said, raising his voice. 

Feliks looked away and pursed his lips. “I said I’m bad with numbers,” 

Tolys gently put a hand on his boyfriend’s lap and smiled at Ludwig. “Perhaps those numbers are a little high, but I do think the rewards need to be higher than usual booking fees. Otherwise, the rewards won’t feel much like a reward,” he said.

“I can agree with you on that, but £2,000 is a bit much,” Ludwig started. 

Tolys opened a folder he had brought with him, pulling out a piece of paper to place on the desk. “£2,000, yes, is a bit much. But, I do think £1,000 is feasible for the first prize,” he stated. “ **_Atomica_ ** had a huge increase in gains last month, and the trend seems to be that it will continue to rise. I believe what would be fair, for all the contestants in a contest like this, is £300 for third place, £500 for second place and £1,000 for first place.”

Ludwig took some time to read the paper before looking back up at the two of them with a confused look. “This is our budget. How on earth did you get this?” 

“Feliciano spoke to me and had some questions about your finances,” Tolys answered. 

Sighing, Ludwig tossed the paper back on the desk. “How many times do I have to tell Feli that you’re _not_ our accountant?” 

“He should be,” Feliks chimed in, proudly. Tolys was no longer the timid accountant he used to be, and he was confident with his words and actions. Feliks crossed his legs and smirked. “He’s really good. The best around!” 

“I would be happy to be your accountant, if you wish, that is,” Tolys added. 

“I’ll think about it,” Ludwig leaned against the desk. “You are an incredibly good negotiator; you could probably manage to get us to pay less on some things.” 

“Well, for starters, you _are_ overpaying for the alcohol…” Tolys began. 

“Style swap,” Feliks said through his teeth, nudging Tolys’ elbow. 

“Right, right. So yes, I do think that those increments are feasible for **_Atomica_** to pay the queens for the contest. And the contest could potentially bring in a lot of customers.” Tolys concluded. 

“And the contest could be a monthly thing! Once a month! It could also be a good opportunity to bring new queens to **_Atomica_ **, potentially making them regulars!” Feliks added. 

Ludwig chuckled. “Now, am I the only one who you’ve presented this idea to? I know you two are somewhat close to Lukas and Mathias as well.” 

Feliks waved his hand as if he were batting Ludwig’s worry away. “No worries here, Ludwig. I’ve worked at **_Atomica_ ** the longest, so of course I want to give my ideas to you first!” 

“Well, I’ve got to say that _this_ , given your past 30 random suggestions, is the first one that makes sense. It’s doable,” Ludwig mentioned. He leaned back in his chair, folded his hands in his lap and smiled. “I like it. I’ll run this by Feli, though I’m sure you’ve already mentioned it to him--”

“Yep!!” Feliks blurted.

“--so I will need you to make sure that you have everyone lined up to do this. Do you?” 

“Uhhh,” Feliks thought for a moment. “Well, I haven’t _formally_ asked them, but I’m sure they’ll be on board! I know indirectly that Hua is on board. Elektra is also kinda on board…”

“Just make sure everyone is on board. Even if one of those three drop out, you make sure someone takes their place. Understood?” Ludwig clarified. 

Feliks nodded enthusiastically and grinned. “Yes, sir! You got it!” he said, standing up. He offered his hand to Ludwig to shake. “You can count on me for anything!” 

Chuckling, Ludwig shook Feliks’ hand. “Yes, except for being on time,” 

Feliks gasped and turned to Tolys. “Oh my God, did you hear that? He told a joke!” 

“Don’t push it,” Ludwig said in a low tone. 

As he stood up, Tolys chuckled and shook Ludwig’s hand as well. “Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with us this afternoon,” he said. “Perhaps you and I should meet one on one soon?”

“To talk about finances and switching accounting agencies? Certainly,” Ludwig agreed, rising to his feet as well. “Email me what works for you, since I know you have a busy schedule meeting with other clients.” 

“Will do,” Tolys said, with a nod. He and Feliks began walking to the door, waving their goodbyes. “Thanks again, Ludwig!” 

“Anytime. Keep me posted about the participants, alright Feliks?” Ludwig replied. 

“Yep!” Feliks said. 

The two of them walked out of the building and Feliks wrapped his arms around Tolys’ waist as they walked. “We make such a good team!” he cheered. 

Tolys wrapped his arm around his lover and laughed. “Of course we do.” 

With the restaurant closed up for the night, Yao was sitting on the edge of his bed, still scrolling through the comments of his new post on Instagram. It was nearly impossible to reply to them all, even though he wanted to thank everyone for their support. 

Taking his phone along with him, he made his way to the bathroom to begin his nightly routine. While he was brushing his teeth, there was a sudden burst of notification sounds coming from his phone. Groaning and assuming it was more comments, Yao unlocked his phone out of curiosity to see what fuss was going on. The single notification took him to a group chat on Instagram, titled **_#TeamStyleSwap!!!!_ **

He didn’t even need to look at who created the group, he already knew. 

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: hey hey!! i have a cool plan for us all! i spoke with ludwig this afternoon and he’s okay with it!_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: what the hell are you on about roksana??_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: style swap!!! we swap styles with each other and perform! we should have a meeting with each other to talk about the rules and such!_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: sounds ridiculous already_

 ** _roksanaspierogi_** _:_ _it’s not ridiculous! let me explain!_

Spitting out his toothpaste, Yao rinsed out his mouth before replying. He wasn’t expecting Feliks’ devious little plan was going to be put in motion so soon. As he washed his hands and dried his hands and face to prepare for skincare, his phone was making all kinds of sound as the group chat was popping off. 

**_elektracity_** _:_ _when will this be? and at which venue?_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: in a few weeks! actually, the week after hua performs at_ **_atomica_ ** _for the first time_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: so soon? interesting. hua? you here?_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: i think we should leave it up to chance? what do you think? we pick names out of a hat!!_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: i want to know what miss hua li thinks_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: i’ve never performed at_ **_atomica_ ** _, what’s it like?_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: miss hua, you know we can see you reading these messages, right?_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: i’m doing my skincare leave me alone k thanks_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: yeah mirage! she’s doing hot girl shit_ 😛 

Setting his phone aside again, Yao turned on the warm water before putting on a panda headband he randomly found in the dryer a few weeks ago. As he was washing his face, he heard footsteps walk past, before returning and stopping in the doorway. 

“Excuse me. That’s _my_ headband,” Xiao-Mei said, pointing to the adorable headband Yao was wearing.

Grabbing a towel to pat dry his face, Yao glanced at her. “ _No_ , it’s mine. I found it in the dryer.” he said. 

“You found it because it’s mine and I lost it,” she insisted. 

“You _lost_ it because it was stuck and nearly _broke_ the dryer,” Yao clarified. “ _I_ found it. It’s mine.” 

“ _Come oooooon_. It’s limited edition! It came in a subscription box! I can’t get it anywhere else! Give it back!” Xiao-Mei protested. 

“Why are you getting subscription boxes?!” Yao asked, tossing the towel aside. “ _How_ are you getting subscription boxes?” 

Xiao-Mei hesitated, looking away. “I am a firm believer in treating yourself. So I use my earnings to pay for it.” 

Yao leaned his head back and groaned. “What are you doing that for? You’re supposed to be saving your money! I taught you better than that!” 

“It’s only £25!” 

“Still! Think of what _else_ you could be spending that on!”

Leon stepped out of his room and leaned against the doorway. He was munching on some potato crisps as he looked at his sister. “What’s going on?” he asked. 

“Yao stole my headband!” Xiao-Mei answered. 

Leon turned to his older brother and pointed at his headband. “It’s cute. I like it,” he mentioned. 

“Thank you,” Yao said, crossing his arms. 

“It’s _my_ headband!” Xiao-Mei repeated. 

“Huh? It looks like it’s Yao’s now,” Leon mentioned. 

“But it was originally mine! I was looking all over for it!” Xiao-Mei leaned against the doorway and pouted. “Please give it back, Yao,” 

Turning his attention to his next skincare step, Yao rolled his eyes. “Listen, I can’t talk right now, I’m doing hot girl shit,” he said, quoting a video Feliks had sent to him a few days ago. 

Leon and Xiao-Mei froze and looked at each other in confusion. They were quiet for a moment while Yao busied himself with applying serums and moisturizers before Leon broke the silence. 

“Meme? Who taught you meme?” he asked. 

“Huh?” Yao asked. He heard his phone ding and ignored it. 

“Memes. Internet culture. You don’t seem like the person who keeps up with that,” Leon clarified. 

“Actually, I _know_ you’re not one to keep up with internet culture.” Xiao-Mei added. 

“What are you talking about? What is a meme?” Yao asked. He heard his phone go off again, but ignored it. 

Both Leon’s and Xiao-Mei’s jaw dropped. “You’re quoting memes but you don’t know what memes are?!” they asked simultaneously. 

“I was quoting a video I saw!” Yao said, defensively. 

“What video? Where was it on?” Leon questioned. 

“I don’t know, some app,” Yao answered. “I had to download it to watch all the videos my friend kept sending me.” 

“Oh my God,” Xiao-Mei gasped looking at her brother. “He’s on TikTok!” 

“Who told you about TikTok?” Leon asked. 

Ding. Another message. 

“Why are you making this a big deal?” 

Ding. Ding. Two messages. 

“You didn’t even know what Vine was three years ago when it died and we were sad about it!!!” Xiao-Mei added. “Who introduced you to TikTok? Was it Kiku? No, Kiku wouldn’t do this…”

“He would if he thought it was funny,” Leon said. “Kiku definitely did this.” 

“It wasn’t Kiku,” Yao stated, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Then who was it?!” Both Leon and Xiao-Mei asked. 

Ding. Ding ding. Yao glanced at his phone and sighed. “Another friend,” 

“I thought Kiku was your only friend!” 

“ _No_ , I have other friends too,” 

“WHAT?! Since _when_?” 

Yao stared at his brother and sister unamused and shook his head. “Do you seriously think I have _one_ friend? Are Yong-Soo, Emil, and Lien your _only_ friends?”

“For the most part, yeah.” Leon answered. 

There were 5 notification dings from Yao’s phone in a row. His friends had to have been pestering him to get him to respond. “That’s not true,” Yao said. “You two have more friends.” 

“Why is your phone blowing up like that?” Xiao-Mei asked. 

Picking up his phone, Yao pushed past his siblings to go to his room. “I don’t have to explain myself or my life to the both of you,” he said as he walked by. 

“ _What_? We have to tell you everything and--” Xiao-Mei began to protest. 

“I’m older than you, and I raised you. It’s different.” Yao replied. 

“Well, we’re _all_ adults now, so I think you should be able to tell us.” Xiao-Mei concluded, crossing her arms against her chest defiantly. 

Yao turned around, standing in the doorway to his room and smiled. “Ah, so you consider yourselves adults now, huh?” he said. 

“Now you’ve done it,” Leon mumbled to his sister. 

“What?” Xiao-Mei replied. 

“I’ll be sure to give you all the bills and taxes you’ll need to pay since you consider yourselves adults now,” Yao began to list. 

“Oh God,” Xiao-Mei gasped. 

“See? Told you.” Leon said, sighing. 

“You also might want to look at apartments. Your friends could be roommates, which would help defray the costs. And--”

“Oh my God, okay! We get it! We’re not _quite_ adults yet, but we’re getting there! But what does that have to do with--” Xiao-Mei started. 

“Again, I will reiterate,” Yao said. “I can’t talk right now, I’m doing hot girl shit.” Once he finished, he closed the door, hearing his younger siblings erupt in loud confusion. He chuckled to himself as he climbed into bed and unlocked his phone to catch up on all of the messages. Nearly all of the messages were from Francis, asking where he was and why he wasn’t responding. Immediately, Yao was annoyed. He decided not to chime in to watch an argument unfold: 

**_themiragevoila_ ** _: where is miss hua?_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: hellooooo??? we’re waiting!?_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: omg mirage ily but please stfu_

 ** _themiragevoila_** _:_ _we’re trying to have a conversation and hua has YET to give us her opinion! i’m trying to make sure the conversation is an ACTUAL conversation_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: sure but you’re being annoying_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: me? annoying? that’s the pot calling the kettle black_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: sure jan._

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: did you just ‘sure jan’ me?????_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: omg i’m going to kick you out of the group_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: you wouldn’t!_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: bet_

 _*_ **_themiragevoila_ ** _has been removed from the group by_ **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _*_

 _*_ **_themiragevoila_ ** _has been added to the group by_ **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _*_

 **_themiragvoila_ ** _: feliks i hate you!!!_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: ajaksdghlaiuortahrugausgh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA_

Wanting to add fuel to the fire, because it was slightly entertaining, Yao decided to finally chime in: 

**_misshuali_ ** _: someone walk me through the steps on how to mute a conversation? i’m getting ready to sleep_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: yes, it’s super easy! there is an ‘i’ button in the upper right corner, tap that and it’ll take you to the conversation’s settings and you can mute it there! just figured it out myself!_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: thanks night_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: WAIT!!!!_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: ugh_

Yao couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he leaned back against his pillow, groaning at Francis’ dramatics. Plans were allowed to wait a few hours while everyone got their daily rest. 

**_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: omg MIRAGE why are you so extra?? calm down_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: first of all, hua, are you okay with this idea?_

 **_misshuali:_ ** _yes i love it_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: ….oh. okay._

What was Francis expecting? Was he thinking Yao would say no? If Francis didn’t want to participate, all he had to do was say no _himself_. He always wanted others to say no so he didn’t have to be “impolite.” Such a childish man. 

**_themiragevoila_ ** _: so then we need to have a meeting then. where to?_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: i don’t mind closing down_ **_tea meditations_ ** _for an hour for us to have a civil discussion!_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: lmao civil discussion_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: sorry! i wasn’t trying to be shady or anything!_

 ** _roksanaspierogi_** _:_ _lol it’s okay girl i caught it_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: how does tomorrow work for everyone? we could do around 12?_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: perfect!_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: i can make it work._

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: one of my classes ends at 12. could we push it to 12:30 instead?_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: 12 it is!_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: i SAID one of my classes ends AT 12_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: it’s not like the university is THAT far away. just sprint lol_

 **_elektracity_ ** _: we’ll wait for you, francis. don’t worry. so, we’re good for tomorrow?_

 **_misshuali_ ** _: yes. good night i’m muting all of you_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: yes! tomorrow! woohoo!_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: i’ll get there when i get there._

 **_elektracity_ ** _: wonderful! can’t wait to see all of you tomorrow! good night!_

 **_roksanaspierogi_ ** _: night!_

 **_themiragevoila_ ** _: night_ 😘

Just like that, the bombastic conversation ended and Yao lightly tossed his phone next to him and groaned. Staring up at the ceiling, he smiled to himself, thinking of how messy things were going to get in the upcoming weeks. Feliks was quick on his feet to convince Francis that this plan was unsuspicious. Granted, it helped that everything occurred behind a screen. Still, Francis was unsuspecting that this was a set up to get him to do something out of his comfort zone. 

Hopefully, it all would go smoothly according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that I spend way too much time watching memes on TikTok? I hope everyone found this as funny to read as I found it as funny to write. It's nice to write some goofy chapters every now and then. 
> 
> How has everyone been? Life has been quite...interesting lately, hasn't it? And by interesting, I mean crazy. I'm trying to keep to my promise by writing more as much as possible. So far so good; it's actually so refreshing to spend less time on social media. Like my mind feels a lot clearer. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter, as silly as it may be! For whatever reason, I plugged the "chat box" dialogues in Google translate to hear the robot read it in English and it kinda struck me funny. Perhaps I'm just strange or my sense of humor is warped. If there are any grammatical errors that need to be corrected, please let me know. Feel free to leave a comment or a critique! I read all the comments and do my best to reply to all of them!


	13. The Planning Process

Stepping into **_Tea Meditations_ ** , Yao was greeted by Tiino, standing behind the counter next to his husband who was busy making some sort of specialty coffee drink. The cafe was cozy and warm, decorated to give off a rustic but modern feel. Soft, classical music played in the background, creating an inviting atmosphere. The place was pretty much empty for the time being, except for Feliks who was sitting at a table, playing games on his phone. Tiino and Berwald had kindly closed their shop just for an hour so that they could all have this meeting. 

The only person who was currently missing was Francis. 

“Yao! Welcome!” Tiino said in a cheery tone. He walked around the counter to give him a hug. “Can I get you something to drink? Or to eat?” 

Yao thought for a moment, hesitating as he looked around the shop briefly. “What do you have?” he asked. 

“Oh, all kinds of stuff! We specialize in blending tea leaves and roasting coffee beans!” Tiino explained. “We can make any tea you’d like!” 

“Really?  _ Any  _ tea?” Yao questioned. He was always extremely picky when it came to tea. 

“Any tea! All loose leaf!”

Yao raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Loose leaf? Really?” he said, smiling a bit. 

“Yup!” Tiino picked up a small list of teas from the counter and handed it to him. “Feel free to take a look. If you’d like to try anything, let me know and we’ll have it ready for you!” 

“We also have select pastries if you are hungry,” Berwald added. He stepped around the counter and placed some sort of coffee drink with loads of whipped cream on top next to Feliks. “Your salted caramel mocha with extra whip.” 

“Yeeessss,” Feliks cheered, scooping a bit of the whipped cream with his finger. “Thank you, Berwald; can’t wait to try it!” 

“Given your sweet tooth, I think you’ll love it,” Berwald added as he walked away. 

Yao glanced at the list Tiino before handing it back to him. “How about this: are you good at guessing people’s tastes?” 

“Berwald is,” Tiino answered. He turned around and stepped up to the counter. “ _ Kultsi _ , do you think you can guess Yao’s taste when it comes to tea?” 

Looking up, Berwald nodded and gave a simple “hm” as an answer. 

Yao smiled as he moved to take a seat across from Feliks. “Surprise me, then,” he said. “I’m open to try anything you have.” 

Berwald gave another nod as he got to work. Tiino sat down at the table between Feliks and Yao and sighed. “How long do you think Francis will be? We can only close shop up for an hour,” he asked. 

“He said he was coming from a class,” Feliks mentioned, taking a sip of his drink. As he pulled the cup away from his face, there was whipped cream stuck on his nose. Wiping the bit of cream away from his nose, he stuck his finger in his mouth to lick it away and hummed. “He wanted it later but this time worked for everyone else soooooo…” 

Just then, as if on cue, Francis opened the door and hurried to take a seat at the table. He seemed flustered as he placed his bag on the last empty chair and rushed to take off his jacket. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized. “I insisted that we meet a little bit later to give myself some more time but  _ someone _ doesn’t like listening, apparently.” 

“Can I get you anything to--” Berwald began. 

“Café au lait, please. And be sure to make it right this time, Berwald. Last time I could tell you did  _ not  _ warm up the milk,” Francis answered, snobbishly. 

“But I  _ did _ heat up the milk,” Berwald said, calmly. “I’m not one to make drinks incorre--”

“I’m not saying you  _ didn’t _ , I’m just saying make it  _ right _ ,” Francis clarified, even though he was wrong. 

Tiino forced a polite smile and took a deep breath. Yao could already tell that working with Francis was beginning to stress him out. “Well, now that everyone is here, shall we get started? Feliks? I believe you are in charge of the meeting?” 

Feliks sat up in his seat in excitement. “Yes! So, as a refresher, I proposed an idea to Ludwig of a type of show we could do. Together. The four of us!” 

“You already told us the general idea of the style swap, Feliks, remember? Get to the point,” Francis mumbled. 

“He agreed to it, and all of us are now in this pact together, okay? So no bailing out on me!” Feliks continued, ignoring Francis’ snide comment. 

“I’m excited! I’ve never performed at  **_Atomica_ ** before. What’s it like?” Tiino said. 

“It’s no  **_Lyst_ ** , that’s for sure,” Francis mumbled under his breath. 

“The crowd there  _ really _ likes flash,” Feliks then answered. “ **_Atomica_ ** is where I have to pull all the stops.  **_Lyst_ ** allows me to do whatever I wish.” 

Berwald came over bringing over both Yao’s and Francis’ drinks, setting them down on the table as gently as he could. “I hope you both enjoy,” he said, in a low voice. “Yao, let me know what you think. This is our ‘Mystic’ blend; it’s white tea with a very small hint of orange.” It should be light in body and flavor.” 

“Thank you,” Yao said, smiling. He lifted the cup up and took time to smell it; it was light-bodied with a hint of fragrance, most likely from the orange as Berwald said. He took a sip and when he looked up, he saw Tiino looking away in an attempt to hide that he was watching his reaction. “You guys blended these tea leaves, right?” 

Tiino turned back to him and grinned. “Yes,” he answered. “What do you think?” 

“It’s not bad,” Yao replied, setting his cup back down. He smiled. “It’s quite nice for the afternoon, actually. How much does it cost?” 

Tiino’s grin grew wider as he sat up in his chair, excited. “You really like it that much?! Oh, what a treat!” he cheered, clapping his hands together. “It’s £12 for a tin, but since you’re a friend, it’s on the house!” 

“No need,” Yao said. “I’m happy to pay full price.” 

“No, no! Please! Our treat!” Tiino paused and turned to Francis who was just taking his first sip of coffee. “Is it to your liking, Francis?” 

“It’ll do,” he answered, setting his cup down. Crossing his legs, he leaned his elbow against his knee and massaged his temple. “Alright Feliks, what rules does this Style Swap entail? Who’s switching with who?” 

“We swap styles with each other,” Feliks simply said. 

“Fine, I’m switching with Hua,” Francis blurted. 

“Let me finish!” Feliks replied. “I thought we’d pull names out of a hat. Well,  _ one _ person pulls a name out of a hat. So, for example, say if Tiino here picks Yao’s name, it would be assumed that Francis and I would switch styles. Make sense?” 

“Why leave it up to chance? We could all agree who’s to swap with who,” Francis said, crossing his legs. 

“It’s less fun that way,” Feliks answered. “Isn’t it more thrilling to keep guessing who you might swap with?” 

“No,” Francis sighed. “But this is  _ your _ plan, so I suppose we’ll just follow your lead.” 

Feliks clapped his hands together as he grinned, and leaned down to pick up a small cap with four scraps of paper inside. “Great! So, let’s do this!! Everyone’s name is in here, and if you happen to get your own name, put it back and pick another one, m’kay?” He glanced at each of them individually before turning to Francis and handing him the cap. “Francis, why don’t you pick first?” 

“Must I?” Francis asked, dramatically. “Yao is still new to the community, he should pick first.” 

Feliks shook the cap, tossing the pieces of paper inside around. “Come on, no party pooping! Pick a name!” 

Reluctantly, Francis reached into the cap and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and immediately frowned. 

“Well, who is it?” Tiino asked. He was leaning forward in anticipation, even though Yao and Feliks had already told him about the plan. It was nice to see that he was dedicated to the part in tricking Francis. 

Francis sighed and held up the paper so that everyone could see the name. “Elektra,” he muttered. 

“Oh! How fun!” Tiino gasped. “So, it’s all decided then, right? Francis and I swap styles, correct? While you and Yao swap?” 

“Yep!” Feliks said in a chipper tone. 

“Can’t I pick again?” Francis asked. 

“No,” Yao said. “What part of ‘leaving this up to chance’ do you not understand?” 

“But Elektra and I have  _ nothing _ in common,” Francis protested. “How am I supposed to be edgy and violent? That is  _ not _ Mirage’s style.” 

Looking to Tiino, who was forcing himself to smile while his left eye twitched in slight annoyance, Yao took a deep breath. From previous encounters, he figured out that Tiino had a sharp tongue, at times, and was holding back what he really wanted to say. “Okay, let’s lay down some ground rules before things get ugly real quick,” he said, leaning forward. “Does anyone have a pen and paper?” 

Tiino happily stood up and walked away. “I’ll grab some,” he said. 

While they waited for Tiino to come back, Yao turned to Francis to say: “You need to learn to be more respectful.” 

Francis raised an eyebrow. “I  _ am _ respectful, though?” 

“You  _ just _ insulted Tiino’s drag style. What do you mean ‘I am respectful?’ You’ve always been like this,” Yao continued. “When Tiino gets back, you should apologize.” 

“I didn’t do anything! I just said we have nothing in common!” Francis protested. 

Yao gave him a stern look, choosing not to say anything. Francis stared back at him in defiance, only to be the first to look away and sigh. 

“Fine. Perhaps my wording was a little harsh.” he mumbled under his breath. 

“A little?” Yao asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“Don’t lecture me,” Francis said, rolling his eyes. 

“If I could cut in for just a moment,” Feliks chimed in. His tone of voice was serious for once. “I can see where you feel stressed out trying a new style completely different from your own. But, think of this as a good opportunity to try something new. It might be good to go out of your comfort zone.” he concluded, taking a sip of his coffee. 

Before Francis could reply, Tiino returned with a notepad and a pen, passing them to Yao. “I think all of this is exciting, actually,” he said as he sat down. “It’ll be interesting to swap with you, Francis. Elektra only likes to be basic when she has bills to pay.” 

Feliks had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from spitting coffee everywhere. He soon started coughing after he swallowed to cover up his laughter. 

“Are you calling me basic, Tiino?” Francis asked. 

Tiino smiled politely. “Oh no, no. I’m just saying simplicity is very nice sometimes.” 

Yao smirked as he began writing on the notepad. “I don’t mean to interrupt quality entertainment, but I believe we should discuss the rules. Feliks, did you have any rules in mind?” he said. 

“Hmm,” Feliks hummed, tapping his chin as he thought. “Well, I was thinking each queen would do two songs each for a performance.” 

“So, how about this: the queen who you are swapping styles with can recommend two songs to help them understand how to conceptualize their performance,” Yao suggested. “And you  _ must _ perform both songs that are recommended.” 

“Oooooh, I like that,” Tiino mentioned. “And are we allowed to consult each other if we need some advice?” 

“I believe we should,” Yao agreed. 

“But only once! This really should be about your interpretation of someone else’s drag style while merging it with yours. Oh, and no copying!” Feliks added. 

Yao nodded and wrote something else down. “Agreed. And you can only ask the queen you’re swapping styles with. No other queens should be asked or if they are asked, they should not offer advice.” 

“Oooh, yeah, yeah. Good one.” Feliks agreed. 

“What about borrowing anything from each other?” Francis asked, finally contributing to the discussion. “Could we borrow wigs or outfits from each other?” 

“I don’t see why not,” Yao said. “There should be  _ some _ limits though. Only borrow a wig or an outfit. Not both. Again, this about  _ interpretation _ , not copying.” 

The four of them continued discussing the rules for the style swap and after numerous pages being ripped from the notepad, they all came to a consensus and the rules were written down formally. 

“Okay, just to be sure we all agree on the rules,  _ for now _ , I’ll reread them one more time,” Yao said. “The rules are as follows:

  1. Two songs in the style you are adapting will be recommended to you by the queen you are swapping styles with
    1. You _must_ perform both songs
  2. You may consult the queen of whom you’re swapping styles with once and _only_ once 
    1. Be sure to ask _all_ questions you have at this time 
    2. You may _not_ ask other queens for advice 
  3. You must dress in a similar style to whom you are swapping with 
    1. Makeup must also be done in a similar way of whom you are swapping styles with 
    2. If need be, a queen may borrow one wig OR one outfit from the queen she is swapping styles with 
  4. Do _not_ mock the queen’s style you are temporarily borrowing 
    1. The Style Swap is simply about expanding one’s repertoire and giving one a chance to try something new. Mocking another queen’s style is _not_ to be tolerated 
    2. The Style Swap is also about one’s interpretation of another style different from their own. It is also about a blending of two styles 
  5. Have fun! 



“Does anyone have any questions?” Yao concluded.

Everyone shook their head, ready for the meeting to be over. “Remember, this is something new. So as we do this more often, we’ll probably add more rules and clarifications to the rules.” Yao added. 

“Makes sense,” Francis said, sighing. “Thankfully, we have plenty of time to figure things out.” 

“Yes, and I suggest we all take some time to write down questions before we ask them to be sure we can get all of the answers we need,” Tiino said. 

“And everyone should send two songs to the person they’re swapping with that they should perform within a few days. It will help with questions and planning,” Yao stated. 

Feliks drummed his hands on the table before throwing his arms in the air. “I’m so excited! This is gonna be so much fun!” he cheered. 

“I agree! I’m excited to see what everyone brings to the stage!” Tiino said, smiling. He stood up and moved over to the main counter to help Berwald set up for opening the shop back up. 

Francis chuckled to himself as he stood up to return his coffee cup. “It will certainly be interesting,” he said in a low voice, rolling his eyes at the fact that he had to swap with Tiino. 

“I think it’ll be an adventure! A test to be a chameleon!” Tiino continued. “I look forward to what songs you give me, Francis.” 

“Likewise,” Francis said. He began making his way to the exit. “Unfortunately, I have to run. My next class starts in 30 minutes. It was nice seeing all of you; I look forward to a few weeks from now!” 

“See you!” Tiino cheered, waving goodbye. Once the door closed shut behind Francis, Tiino’s smile disappeared as he grumbled under his breath: “Jerk.” 

Both Feliks and Yao erupted in laughter at Tiino’s comment, who soon joined in their laughter. Feliks jumped up from his seat to pat Tiino’s back. “Thank you for being a good sport and agreeing to our plan, Tiino,” he said. “I know Francis is a handful with his bad attitude and all.”

“It’s no problem,” Tiino replied. “I’m just surprised that the trick went on so smoothly. I’m usually  _ terrible _ with secrets!” he added, giggling. 

“Well, let’s hope this whole thing goes smoothly,” Yao said. “I have a feeling this could go south real fast if Francis decides to tank it.” 

“Oh, he won’t,” Feliks said, waving his hand. “This will be a fun project for all of us! Once we get into trying to figure out how we want to perform and put together our outfits, we’ll be so into it!” 

Yao sighed and nodded along at Feliks’ statement in half agreement. He could see Francis enjoying the challenge if he put aside his jealousy for once and focused on the challenge at hand. But he could also see Francis sabotaging himself because he really didn’t want to swap styles with Tiino. Therefore, he would blame his anger on Feliks, Yao and Tiino for agreeing to such a ridiculous thing and on the style swap challenge, which, in turn, would wreck the whole thing. 

Yao hoped the former was true. 

“Well, I should get back to the restaurant. It was good to see you guys again, and I look forward to what you guys will bring to the stage in a few weeks,” Yao said, making his way to the door. 

“Wait please,” Berwald said. He walked around the counter and handed Yao a tin of loose leaf tea. “It’s on the house.” 

“Oh,” Yao reached into his pocket for his wallet, but as Tiino moved to stand next to his husband, he stopped him. 

“No need. It’s on the house!” Tiino said. 

“But--”

“You’re a friend! We’re happy to give our friends our tea blends on the house! In the future, we might ask for a  _ little  _ bit of money, but it’ll be a big discount!” Tiino continued. “If you want to try any of our other teas, don’t hesitate to ask, okay?” 

Smiling, Yao relented and opened the door. “Thank you, and I’m sure I’ll be asking about your other teas if they’re as good as this one,” he said. They all waved goodbye as Yao stepped out of the shop, who walked only a few steps from the shop before he paused, looking at the bookstore across the street. In the storefront window, he could see Francis speaking to another man, someone Yao remembered seeing the night he performed at  **_Lyst_ ** , though due to the dark nature of the club, he hadn’t gotten a good look at him. Given their familiar and intimate body language, he presumed that this man was Francis’ beloved Arthur. It seemed that Francis was probably already venting about what happened and complaining that he had to switch styles with a less “conventional” queen. 

_He must be a patient man_ _to be dating that drama queen_. Yao thought to himself as he walked away. But who knew, perhaps this Arthur would be able to get Francis to think clearly again. What Yao _did_ know, was that he was excited to sit down and plan out a new performance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you all are doing well! As promised, here is the lastest chapter! I technically did skip 3 weeks (oops) but! I actually have a virtual audition next Saturday so I wanted to make sure the updates didn't conflict with that so I can just focus on the audition next week. It also just gave me extra time to get ahead in writing my chapters (which side note: I'm super ahead now!). 
> 
> Anyway, what do you think of the rules for the style swap? I'm excited about what the queens are gonna do and what songs they will perform! Who do you think will win the contest?? Will Francis put his jealousy aside? I wanna know your thoughts! Feel free to leave a comment or a critique down below! 
> 
> The next update will be February 20th! See you then! 
> 
> Katelyn (violinia) 
> 
> Please follow my other social media (specifically my Twitter because I'm more active there currently)!!   
> Tumblr: @bonnefoys   
> Twitter: @kviolinia


	14. How to Change

“Oh Arthur, what am I to do about this?” 

It had been a few days since the meeting. Francis was laying down on the couch with his hand dramatically resting upon his forehead. Ever since the meeting about the style swap occurred, Francis was constantly thinking of what he needed to do. Tiino hadn’t given him two songs yet, and he was worried what kind of  _ monstrosities _ he might recommend. 

“Francis, I don’t think you need to fret over anything,” Arthur said, carefully placing a damp shirt on a drying rack. “Mirage Voilà is capable of anything, right?” 

“Well  _ yes _ , but I don’t want to be gothy or whatever Elektra is,” Francis replied. “What do I even  _ wear _ ?” 

“Didn’t you say you could borrow things from Elektra?” 

“Either a wig  _ or _ an outfit. I can’t do both,” Francis groaned. “I suppose it’s cheating if we did both or something.” 

“I think it’s just forcing you to think outside the box,” Arthur said, coming over to sit next to him. “How would Mirage interpret Elektra’s style? Maybe she could do some sort of combination of her usual and Elektra’s style.”

“But that’s  _ so _ obvious,” Francis whined. 

“I’m just trying to help, love,” Arthur moved Francis’ legs so that they rested on his lap. “Sometimes the obvious is the best choice. You don’t always have to be over the top. I could see if my Nan still has some of the punk things I wore as a teenager. Perhaps you could do a ‘borrowed my boyfriend’s flannel’ kind of thing with dark makeup? You know, something alternative, but still kinda glam.” 

Francis propped himself up on his elbows and smiled. “That’s a pretty good idea,  _ mon chou _ ,” he said. “What would I ever do without you?” 

“Die from being overdramatic,” Arthur said casually without a second thought. 

Francis laughed as he laid back down. “Yes, you’re probably right. It’s amazing I’ve gotten this far, isn’t it?” 

“Quite,” Arthur said, smiling. He gently pulled Francis’ sock off and started giving him a bit of a foot massage. “When are you supposed to hear from Tiino about the songs?” 

“Soon, I hope,” Francis mumbled. “He might’ve forgotten. I should just send mine to him,” The apartment went silent for a moment until Francis sighed as he grabbed his phone off of the coffee table. “You know what’s crazy? I have a feeling that the three of them plotted this against me.” 

Arthur rolled his eyes and groaned. “Francis, come on. Why would they do that?” 

“Because they think it’s funny,” Francis stated. “Think about it: isn’t it funny that I, one of the most glamorous queens to have ever walked the earth, has to switch styles with Elektra City?” 

“Why are you implying Elektra  _ isn’t _ glamorous?” Arthur asked. 

“I’m not implying that,” 

“You pretty much did,” 

Francis sat up and pulled his leg away from his lover. “Elektra is beautiful. ...In her own way.” 

“Francis,” Arthur muttered. “How about this: suppose they  _ did _ plot this whole thing against you. Don’t you think it was more about getting you to think outside the box instead of being so egotistical?” 

“You’re assuming drag queens do things out of kindness. That’s not how it works,” Francis replied. 

“Because  _ you _ wouldn’t do that,” Arthur said. “Just because  _ you _ wouldn’t do something like that for your friends, doesn’t mean that your friends wouldn’t do that for you. Ever think of it that way?” 

“You really think that this is some sort of tough love thing?” Francis scoffed. 

“ _ If _ they actually ‘plotted against you,’ that is. I don’t think they did, however,” Arthur clarified. “See, you are the type of person who gets jealous and seeks to destroy someone’s successful career before they, possibly, destroy yours. That is at least what I was seeing when it comes to you and Feliks,” 

“I don’t get jealous,” Francis said, defensively. “I love all of my friends. I just wish they would acknowledge me.” 

Arthur stared at his lover for a moment, smirking, before shaking his head. “Francis,” he said in a low voice. 

“Okay, fine!  _ Maybe _ I get jealous sometimes. But I’m not a jealous person!” 

Arthur kept quiet as he continued to stare at him, fighting a knowing smirk. 

Francis turned away and slumped further in his seat. “ _ Fine _ . I’m a jealous person.” 

“Just sometimes,” Arthur finally said, laughing a bit. “Only when someone is succeeding in an area that you wish to succeed in.” 

“Arthur, I’m a horrible friend aren’t I?” Francis asked in a whiny tone. 

“No. If that were the case, would your friends be trying to teach you a lesson? They just want you to be aware of your shortcomings,” he clarified. “With that being said, I really do think this was just a random idea Feliks had and it managed to be picked up by Ludwig.” 

Francis crossed his arms and pouted. “I hope you’re right,  _ mon chou _ . You know how sneaky Feliks can be, though.” 

“I don’t think he’s sneaky,” 

“Trust me, he’s  _ sneaky _ . Especially now that he has Yao on his side.” 

Just then, Francis’ phone went off and a message from Tiino was waiting for him. He opened the message eagerly, curious to know what hell he was going to put him through. 

**_elektracity:_ ** _ hi francis, so sorry it’s taken me so long to give you the songs. i was trying to be sure i gave you something tame! after much listening, i think you will enjoy performing these songs:  _

_ So What - P!nk _

_ Who’s Gonna Save U Now? - Rina Sawayama _

_ also, i was thinking that i might borrow one of your outfits, if that is okay with you? i have plenty of blonde wigs, so i’m okay regarding that. i’ve never seen you perform live, only seen clips; are you usually very flirty and sensual on stage? how revealing are your clothes? you strip or change outfits or whatever on stage, right? should i try to do the same? i’m not one to use tearaways when performing; too much of a hassle, you know? i believe those are all the questions i have! can’t wait to see what songs you have for me!  _

“Ah, you know that first song he gave you, right?” Arthur asked. He had moved closer and was looking over Francis’ shoulder because he was curious what was assigned. “It’s been on the radio numerous times. I’m actually quite fond of it.” 

Francis reached behind him and gently patted Arthur’s cheek as he reread the message over and over. “Yes, I think I know that song,” he replied. “I suppose it’s time to listen to them and memorize lyrics.” 

“And what do you have for Tiino? I’m curious?” Arthur questioned, wrapping his arms around his lover. 

“I need to think some more,” Francis said. “You own some plaid, right?” 

“Huh?” 

“Plaid? I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you wear that atrocious fabric at some point,” Francis clarified. “I’m thinking of doing what you said. Borrow my boyfriend’s clothes, put on leather pants and dark makeup.”

“See? You can do this with no problem,” Arthur said, smiling. “I think Elektra’s style is all about attitude and presence. That’s what she’s about.”

Francis leaned forward and smirked. “And what is Mirage all about? I’m curious--”

“Sex,” Arthur said quickly. “Right?” 

Laughing, Francis shrugged. “I suppose so, if that’s what you think. And Roksana?” 

Arthur thought for a moment. “I don’t know why, but she’s harder to pin down to one word. Hua is the same way, I think,” 

“Why is it easy for you to come up with a word for Elektra and I, but not Roksana and Hua?” Francis asked, mildly annoyed. 

“Because,” Arthur began. He paused for a moment to choose his words carefully. “They’re artists. And before you take offence, I’m not saying you’re  _ not _ an artist. I’m saying that they live, breathe, and sleep art. Constantly. Every little detail and moment is thought out to symbolize something. They embody art, and that’s why it’s harder to boil them all down to one word.” 

“You think  _ Roksana _ embodies art?  _ Roksana _ ?  _ Pierogi _ ?” Francis questioned. 

“After her performance at  **_Lyst_ ** ? Sure,” Arthur clarified. “You know I’m not the biggest fan of Roksana on stage, but I thought her performance at  **_Lyst_ ** was certainly different from her usual at  **_Atomica_ ** . If she did more of that, I would enjoy her more, actually. She showed that she knows her audience at both venues, and I think she’d probably prefer to be more artsy, but knows what  _ actually _ pays the bills.” 

“So--” Francis started. 

“I’m not saying you don’t think your performances through, okay? But, I’m saying that your acts are very sensual and get everyone hot and bothered. After all, why on  _ earth _ did I, once a closeted gay man, chase after you once your show was after you?” Arthur concluded. 

Francis laughed. “Alright, I understand what you’re saying,” he said. “You’re saying that both Roksana and Hua use their art backgrounds to create their shows whereas Elektra and I stick to...one particular style.” 

“Yes, exactly,” Arthur paused. “Wait, Yao has a performing arts background too? I was just assuming--” 

“No, just art, really. He was originally an art major I think, but switched to business if I recall,” Francis answered. “He used to tell me that he wished he had just stuck to art like he originally wanted. But his mother insisted that he switch to business as it was at least a degree that would ensure a job after graduation.” 

“Ah,” Arthur sighed. “Everyone’s family has those thoughts, don’t they? I got the same thing from my Nan at one point when I said I was focusing on literature and writing for my degree. She kept insisting that I was going to be poor and unhappy because there’s  _ nothing _ in that field.” 

“And my father thought I was too stupid to even get into a university. It really is unfortunate that the people who raise us think they can dictate our lives,” Francis said, sighing. Rereading Tiino’s message, he stood up and started making his way to the bedroom. “Come over here and help me find your plaid shirt. I need it for my outfit.” 

“Right,” Arthur said as he stood up to follow him. He smiled, happy that his partner seemed to be in better spirits. “Happy to help.” 

  
  


_ London, England _

_ September, 2006 _

“We really should go home. Before your mom figures out that we’re gone,” Kiku said. 

Both of them had “snuck out” to go to their first club. It was Yao’s idea, funnily enough, as he always seemed to have babysitting duty for his brother and sister. Friday’s were typically dedicated to getting a headstart to homework from university, babysitting and watching movies. 

But it was a rare Friday night, indeed.

Yao’s mother gave him the night off, closed the restaurant early to watch Li-Xiao and Xiao-Mei. Yao said that he was just going to get a head start on his homework as usual, but when 19:00 came around, he texted Kiku asking if he wanted to see a drag show. 

Kiku, surprisingly, agreed, but only because he was bored. 

Through the grapevine from his fellow art majors, Yao had heard about drag shows at different clubs. There was a particular drag queen, Miss Kokoa Loka, that was commonly spoken about while they were cleaning up the printing room, and many of them spoke about how they wished they could go see a show of hers. Clubs were often packed where she performed, which made it nearly impossible to see a show. 

But today, on the rarest of Fridays, Yao and Kiku were lucky and managed to get into the club where Miss Kokoa Loka was performing. As predicted, the show was incredible (granted, Yao had never seen a drag show before). The show had started out with an emotional ballad that was beautifully performed, and ended on a high note with an energetic song. The performance and the dancing wasn’t the only thing that was effortlessly beautiful; Miss Kokoa Loka’s style and makeup was impeccable as well. The bright colors she wore complimented her rich skin, and her face was painted gorgeously. It was strange, and he didn’t know how to explain it well enough to Kiku, but Yao suddenly had an interest to work with the drag queen, and possibly become one himself. 

“I didn’t pay that security guard for nothing,” Yao said. “Hold on.” Tentatively, Yao knocked on the dressing room door for a third time. The guard warned him that Miss Kokoa Loka didn’t like seeing guests after her shows and Yao most likely would not get a response from them. But he had a good feeling about this despite the odds. 

When the door opened, both Yao and Kiku suddenly took a step back as Miss Kokoa Loka, who towered over them with no wig and in a bathrobe, greeted them politely. “I apologize, but I don’t do signatures or pictures or--” she began. 

“I-I didn’t come here for a picture,” Yao replied. 

Leaning against the door frame, Miss Kokoa Loka smiled and crossed her arms. “You didn’t? Then why are you here?” she asked, intrigued. There was a light jab in her tone of voice, despite her being polite as possible. 

Yao thought for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to ask what he wanted to ask. 

“My time is precious, baby,” Miss Kokoa Loka then said, tapping her wrist as if she were wearing a watch. “I really would like to get out of these heels; my feet are  _ killing _ me.” 

“I’m sorry,” Yao apologized. “I just wanted to ask a question.” 

Miss Kokoa Loka raised her eyebrows in surprise. “And that is?” 

“If I were interested in doing drag, how would I start?” Yao asked. 

Shocked, Miss Kokoa Loka took a step back and blinked. “Hm. Straight to the point,” she said. Her kind smile returned. “I like that about you. How old are you? You look young. Twelve?” 

“ _ Nineteen _ .” Yao answered in a low voice. 

“My, my,” Kokoa sighed. “Still a child, aren’t you?” Ready to defend himself, Yao began to say something before she stopped him. “I mean that in the best way possible. You’ve got a long life ahead of you and much to learn. Tell me: do you paint?” 

“Well, I’m an art student--” 

“No, I mean, do you  _ paint _ ?” Kokoa asked, gesturing to her own face and makeup. 

Picking up on what she meant, Yao nodded. “Yes, I, uh, paint. Not as often as I’d like though. I have to do it when my mom won’t notice.” 

Kokoa nodded empathetically. “I understand,” she said in a low voice. She paused, thinking for a moment. “You got pictures of yourself? Of your work?” 

Turning around, Yao looked at Kiku. “Give me your phone,” he said. 

“What?” Kiku replied, confused. 

“I have pictures on your phone,” 

“ _ Why _ ?” 

“Because! I still have a cheap phone that doesn’t have a camera! So I take them on yours.” 

Kiku stared at him, flabbergasted. “Are you  _ serious _ ? You’ve never asked!” 

“How have you never noticed by now?! Whatever, just give me your phone!” 

Kiku relented, mumbling to himself as he reached into his pocket and handed Yao his cellphone. Opening the phone’s photo gallery, Yao quickly searched for a good picture of himself before turning it around to show Kokoa. Leaning down closer, Kokoa took a look at the picture, staring at it for a long time. 

“I know I’m not the best,” Yao then said. “But I’m trying to practice when I can and--”

“We all gotta learn,” Kokoa said. She smiled, seemingly impressed with Yao’s work. “What’s your name?” 

“Yao,” 

Offering her hand, she smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Yao. I’m Kokoa, as you already know.”

“Really? We just--” Yao started. 

“Of course. Everyone calls me Kokoa,” She smirked and stepped aside, inviting the two of them to come in. “Let’s talk.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! We have a relatively short chapter this time (which I know is probably somewhat of a disappointment) with a small flashback at the end. We're building up to the big event that is the Style Swap, and I thought it would be nice to know at least ONE of the contestant's song lineup, so we get to know what Tiino picked for Francis. We'll know everyone's song lineup in the next chapter (or two, we'll see!). We also get a nice moment with Arthur being like "omg Francis ilysm but stop" moment, which is really long overdue. 
> 
> What do you think about this chapter? Is Francis still being overdramatic? Who do you think is going to turn it out in the Style Swap next chapter? Who you want to win the Style Swap?? 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment down below! Critiques are also welcome! If you find any grammatical errors and such, please point them out! 
> 
> See you soon! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)
> 
> Tumblr: @bonnefoys  
> Twitter: @kviolinia (I'm much more active here lately)  
> Ko-Fi: violinia

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! It has officially been 2 years since I wrote "London is Burning", and after venturing into some prequels, I finally want to/am able to write a proper sequel to the original story! I do want to give you all a heads up: this story is meant to take place in 2020 since the first one took place in 2018. However, since our current timeline of 2020 is an absolute wreck, I wanted to note that the 2020 this story takes place is in a timeline where COVID19 does NOT exist. I began writing this story at the beginning of the year (I believe) and had no idea that things were going to be as chaotic as they are now. 
> 
> If you have been following my stories for some time now, I would like to also mention that this story is going to be MUCH lighter and fun than my last one (Battle of Warszawa). Of course, there will be serious moments, but this story is meant to be lighthearted in nature. 
> 
> I do hope you all enjoy this story. A posting routine hasn't really been put in place yet, but it will most likely be updated every other week. I know it's a long wait, but it's done so that there's enough cushion time to reread and edit as much as possible. 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> -Katelyn (violinia)


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